Address Boulevard, Dubai

Emaar Properties’ latest Address hotel has a distinctly residential feel with an array of specially commissioned artwork taking centrestage. Address Boulevard, Dubai. Words: Matt Turner | Photography: © Nicolas Dumont

Given its name, there’s an irony in the difficulty some Dubai taxi drivers seem to have in locating the Address Boulevard. Though in fairness, their confusion is understandable. This is the fifth Address hotel to launch in the Emirate, the third in Downtown Dubai specifically, and one of two Address hotels directly linked to the Dubai Mall. Moreover, the 72-storey curvilinear tower that houses it is more or less identical to that of the Address Downtown, currently under reconstruction following the fire that engulfed it on New Years Eve 2015. No doubt the taxi drivers will soon get used to finding the right Address. And guests who do make their way to this newest addition to the portfolio will find a hotel that, on the inside at least, is significantly different not just to its sister properties, but anything else in the Dubai hotel market. This is the most lifestyle driven of the Address Hotels to-date. Its interiors are calm, cool and elegant, with an extensive array of artworks bringing the scheme to life.

Comprising 196 guestrooms and 532 serviced residences, the project was developed by Emaar Properties with Atkins and Norr Consultants as architects. HBA Dubai designed the majority of the hotel spaces, with Virgile & Partners and Meraki & Modus collaborating on the restaurant. “Address Boulevard is inspired by European finesse while demonstrating old world, understated elegance and luxury,” according to Emaar. “A particular theme of the hotel is the notion of timeless elegance with its Art Deco architecture. The interiors are influenced by the era of luxurious travel while exquisite craftsmanship is evident in public areas, giving the property the feel of being surrounded by someone’s private art collection, making family and business guests feel perfectly at home.”

Art consultants Soho Myriad have curated 251 original pieces, by 48 different artists, ranging from paintings and sculptures to bespoke lighting pieces. On the hotel forecourt, two seven-metre-tall sweeping sculptures by Cornish artist Ben Barrell entitled Wings – their fluid forms hinting at a pair of entwined dancers – mark the entrance. Overhead, Felicity is just one of 46 chandeliers by Lasvit located throughout the hotel. Designer Jana Ruzickova’s Spirit of Timeless Luxury collection is inspired by the sophistication, glamour and style of cultural icons like Audrey Hepburn. In total 22,000 crystal pearls, more than 6,000 bespoke cut crystal prisms, over 3,500 handcrafted glass rods and 4,500 hand-blown glass pearl drops were used for the collection, which was created in just seven-and-a-half months from conception to final installation. 

Other significant artworks in the lobby include Cut by Heike Weber – a deceptively fragile piece composed of cut-out acrylic coated paper; Dubai by Matthew Picton – a three-dimensional cartographic piece illustrating the transformation of the emirate through a combination of sculptural forms with traditional Nabati poetry; and Mappa Mundi Dubai by Ewan David Eason – a circular image of Dubai with names removed, over a square of hand gilded 24-carat gold leaf. Behind the reception desk, Petr Weigl describes his porcelain ceramic installation Transcend as “a peaceful contemporary work capturing a complex blend of philosophy, emotion and self reference which draws inspiration from Mother Nature’s mathematical patterns, the psychology of people and how they interact.”

The residential feel of the lobby continues in the hotel’s sole, signature restaurant. Simply entitled The Restaurant at Address, it has been designed to feel like the luxurious European apartment of a well-travelled family in the 1920s, comprising a variety of distinct modular dining spaces – both communal and private – within one coherently designed envelope. With no separate service times for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the restaurant offers food and drink 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. 

Fine oak panelling, parquet flooring, marble and bronze finishes combine to create an eclectic yet harmonious mix of styles: “The brief was to reinvent the traditional tried-and-tested idea of a hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant and its generally underwhelming experience,” explain Virgile & Partners. “The concept is a luxury residential apartment setting where the imaginary owners enjoy their surroundings and interesting social life. It is created by a number of interrelating semi-open rooms: The Collection – a circular room full of antiques and objects – is at the core of the plan; linking to the Lounge; the open Dining Room; The Dressing Room integrating fashion and jewellery displays in its glass cabinets; The Kitchen, and even a intimate Secret Room to be discovered for dinner for two. Each room has its own personality but still feels part of an integrated approach. The twelve different spaces – not just rooms and lounges but exterior terraces - present different situations and experiences establishing a design tension that feels natural and exciting as well as subtlety theatrical.”

Adjoining the main restaurant and dining areas, three connecting lounges extend out to the main terraces, where Tuuci has provided its Plantation Max parasols to shade from the mid-day sun. The Jazz and Blues Room, the Games Room; and the Main Library are social spaces in which guests can relax on comfortable sofas, surrounded by art and books. An entire floor of the Address has been dedicated to its wellness facilities. The Spa at Address spans some 700m2 and features a swimming pool, ten dedicated single treatment rooms, private couple’s treatment suite, manicure and pedicure areas, and a private vitality pool. Other amenities include relaxation lounges, male and female thermal suites, steam rooms, saunas, rhassoul and hammam, experience showers and ice fountains.

The hotel’s meeting facilities are similarly extensive. The Boulevard Ballroom can accommodate up to 250 guests, whilst The Atelier show kitchen is suited to social gatherings of friends, family or work colleagues. Five additional event spaces offer a variety of settings from an auditorium for theatre-style events to private meetings. With the brand now well established in Dubai, Emaar are now looking further afield for future development. The group recently opened its second property in Egypt – Address Marassi Beach Resort – and future openings are in the pipeline for Makkah in Saudi Arabia, Istanbul and Bahrain.

sources: Sleeper, 01-02, 2018

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