Burj Al Arab - first thoughts

the main lobby at the Burj

OK, I've been here for almost a week now, I guess it's about time I got around to writing a few things down and sending them out there into that world – the one I suppose is still out there, somewhere, beyond the confines of the lovely but artificial realm which is, for the moment, my home. I'm afraid it will be very much in my usual meandering style; I will however try to break it up a bit so it's not all in one big chunk. Some of you know how difficult that is for me; I hope you appreciate it!...

the circular fountain

I have taken some pictures, and i will post a few here, but it's difficult for me to really capture and convey how strange it is here. At the moment, for example, I am sitting in the lobby cafe listening to the resident traditional quartet playing what sounds like classical Persian music on Ney, Riq, Santur and Oud). I can't take a picture of them as photos are not allowed in this area. Above me stretches the atrium which, even if I could take a picture, it would be impossible to give any real sense of. It's enormous.

the view from my floor

I have taken a few from above – from my floor, the 9th (really the 18th, as each floor is actually two; all the main suites are on two levels. My own humble room has a false ceiling, above which is a technical area; I'm not entirely sure what exactly it's for, but thankfully it does not seem to be used much, at least not while I'm there) and from the 18th (36th) where the spa and fitness room are. Hopefully they can give you some idea...

from the 18th floor

Of course, everything here (besides our rooms) is aimed at all-out, over-the-top, no-holds-barred opulence. For the most part, they achieve it. It's an impressive level of service, if sometimes a little surreal. I think I have been thanked more in the past few days than in the previous 5 years, and for no apparent reason. They say thank you at every possible interaction with a guest. They thank you for riding in the elevator; for giving them your dirty laundry; for walking through the lobby. They thank you when they put the cappuccino you've ordered on your table. Thank you sir, for allowing me to get out of your way. And of course, always, a smile. It's a bit unnerving. Thankfully some of the staff allow themselves a bit of latitude in their relations with the entertainers, a bit of joking around; it's not all as sterile and artificial as it sounds.

after the gig

They tell me around 1200 people work here. I'm not sure if that includes the entertainers or not (there are 10 of us, by my count – the trio I play in, a Russian quartet who play light classical and such, a strolling guitarist who plays on the terrace, an Armenian pianist who plays melodic easy listening, and a harpist in the fish restaurant downstairs, also Russian; oh, and the traditional quartet, but they don't stay in the hotel), as we fall between the cracks a little – not really staff, not really guests, in a kind of grey area.

dessert

We have most of the priveledges of guests, we can eat in some of the restaurants - not all, but then we don't have to pay in the ones we are allowed in... we can use the spa and fitness facilities, come and go more or less as we please as long as we're dressed sharp and on time for the gig. Par for the course, and certainly not a bad way to pass the days, if a bit isolated. The space-station effect.

cleaning the fishtank

Anyway, with about 205 suites, that's around 6 staff per suite. When you take into account everything that is involved – a concierge and a butler per 'floor' – there are suites on 24 floors – on duty around the clock; reception staff in the lobby, around the clock; cooks and waiters and hosts and bartenders and sommeliers at 4 restaurants and a handful of bars and cafes; therapists, fitness coaches and various attendants at a fully-appointed spa; clerks at several luxury shops; cleaning staff for all of the above (as well as the fountains and the giant aquarium; see photo); lifeguards for the outdoor pool and the private beach; drivers for the fleet of Rolls Royce limos, on duty all the time; ditto for the buggies which are the main form of transport across the bridge (to the beach areas, the neighboring water park and other hotels in the complex, and the 'souk' - really a kind of mall with a nod to traditional market architecture. It's simply too hot to walk). You begin to get the idea. The place is actually quite seriously understaffed, with many employees working literally absurd hours.

18th floor panorama

The hotel is really in two wings; the 'billowing sail' which stretches between them, constituting the hotel's facade from the land side (more on this later) is more or less just that – some sort of fabric-like material stretched across a huge frame, and designed to let the wind blow through it to help keep it cool in here. So far so good – at least a tiny nod to ecological concern at the design level. Sadly, that's about as far as it goes; in fact, this place is like a gigantic temple of waste on almost every other level – the endless piles of top-quality towels and linens laundered every day. The ship which comes every night to dredge the channel between the Burj and the mainland to keep it from silting in – for then we would no longer be on an island. I cannot imagine the amount of food from the buffets – amazing food, really, superbly prepared from the freshest and finest ingredients – that is thrown away at the end of each day. I do my best to eat as much of it as I can, but after all there is only so much that one man can do...

OK I'll wrap it up there for today. I'll try to keep momentum and write fairly frequently, at least as long as it seems interesting enough to write about. More soon!
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