Scaffolding around the Giorgio Armani Milano showing the planned look

La Dolce Vita lives on in Milano.

Amongst all the bad news, stories of canceled projects in Dubai and lawsuits involving Donald Trump, it is good to be able to report on one company, at least , that does not seem in any way affected by the current financial crisis.

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Bangalore is at the heart of India’s IT boom, the Bollywood version of Silicon Valley. Well maybe in terms of business but not as far as luxury hotels go. Bangalore has much better options in that department: and one of the best is The Taj West End Bangalore.

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Elton John must be feeling the pinch of the credit crunch along with the rest of the UK after accepting an offer from Pearl Dubai to play a private concert for a group of more than 150 investors flown to Paris for the unveiling of another new development in Dubai – the Baccarat Hotel and Residences.

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Rajasthan’s history is all about class, great wealth and deep poverty. Rajasthan, India has never got with the communist agenda: or even the modern welfare state as practiced in Western Europe. No Rajasthan was always a princely state and the Princes in some cases still live in the Palaces or more often part of them and rent out the rest as luxury hotels

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The Hydropolis, an underwater Luxury hotel in Dubai (or more appropriately, under and off the coast of Dubai) has run into construction issues. Originally the plan was to open the luxurious underwater locale beginning 2008, but that has been moved back now and the current estimate is that the complex will open early 2009.

The Hotel is still under construction and once complete will include three parts: a land station, a connecting tunnel with a train that will run to the hotel complex proper. The plan is to have 220 luxurious suites in the hotel complex.

“Hydropolis is not a project; it’s a passion," enthuses Joachim Hauser, the developer and designer of the hotel. His futuristic vision is about to take shape 20m below the surface of the Arabian Gulf, just off the Jumeirah Beach coastline in Dubai. The £300 million, 220-suite hotel is due to open at the end of 2007 and will incorporate a host of innovations that will take it far beyond the original blueprint for an underwater complex worthy of Jules Verne.

There are only a few locations in the world where such a grandiose dream could be realized. A high proportion of today’s architectural marvels are materializing like fanciful mirages from the desert sands. We have come to expect extravagant enterprises to be mounted in the Middle East, and especially in Dubai. "This venture could only be born here in Dubai," says Hauser. "It has a very open-minded, international community – and that’s what makes it so special."

I take that to mean very open-minded planning restrictions, but you have to admire their ingenuity and ambition. Whether there will be any wildlife left to view once the other luxury developments around the area are complete remains to be seen. Apparently, the recent completion of the World Islands breakwater is having a detrimental effect on the water currents, but every one involved seems to be keeping quiet on this issue.

The developers, Crescent Hydropolis resorts PLC, are planning more underwater luxury hotels in the Isle of Man, London, Monaco, New York and Qingdao.

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announces the entry of The Luxury Collection® in Ras Al Khaimah, the fourth largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates.  Under a long-term agreement with Saraya Islands, PJSC., the hotel will be operated under the Luxury Collection brand within the Saraya Islands, a distinguished mixed-use destination in the heart of Ras Al Khaimah between the Hajjar Mountains and the Arabian Gulf.  The Luxury Collection Resort is expected to open in 2011.

"We define The Luxury Collection by our guests and the experiences and services they demand and expect.  Nothing less than an exceptional level of service, perfect location and indigenous personal offerings will do," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. "The magical destination of Ras Al Khaimah on the edge of the Arabian Gulf creates the perfect setting for the debut of The Luxury Collection in the United Arab Emirates."

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