Diamond Designs Daily Digest
June 20th, 2013
Repeatedly voted the world’s most luxurious hotel, the distinctive sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai raised the hospitality bar still again this month by offering every overnight guest a 24-karat gold-plated iPad that acts as a “virtual concierge.”

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Designed exclusively for the Burj Al Arab by Gold & Co. London, the glimmering iPads are engraved with the hotel’s name, logo and slogan, “Stay Different.”

Guests of the 7-star hotel that sits on a man-made island almost 250 meters off the Jumeirah coast can use their gilded iPads to take a tour of the hotel, order room service, make a restaurant reservation or get details about spa treatments and butler services.

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They can also sign into their iTunes account and download apps, games and music. A resort-wide wireless network is available for all users.

Hotel general manager Heinrich Morio commented: "Our exclusive Burj Al Arab 24-karat gold iPads epitomize Jumeirah’s philosophy of 'stay different' and further enhance our guests’ experiences during their stay."

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Just how luxurious is the Burj Al Arab? Guests who stay in the hotel’s $18,000-a-night Royal Suite enjoy 8,395 square feet of sheer luxury, including marble floors, mahogany furniture, Hermes toiletries, a private cinema and a rotating four-poster bed. They can also request a chauffeur-driver Rolls Royce or helicopter (at extra cost).

Although the opulent iPads will be given out on loan to hotel guests, the devices are available at the hotel boutique for $10,500.