Armani hotel opens in Dubai's Burj Khalifa

The 160-room Armani Hotel Dubai is a welcome bit of good news for Dubai's leaders after the troubled debut of the more than half-mile (828-meter) Burj Khalifa in January. An elevator malfunction forced a two-month closure of the spire's observation deck -- the only part of the tower open to the public.

The Italian designer was on hand for Tuesday's opening ceremony, which was delayed a week because of the travel chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano. He said his goal was to build a comfortable and stylish hotel that would leave an impression.

"I wanted something very important, something to be remembered," Armani said, dressed in a dark T-shirt and white trousers. "Something not just for the present, but beyond."

Armani was joined by the chairman of Burj Khalifa's developer Emaar Properties, which has a deal to open more Armani-branded hotels, including the next one in Milan.

They have not disclosed financial details of their partnership.

The luxury doesn't come cheap. The cheapest rooms offered at the moment go for more than $750 a night -- before tax. High-end suites cost about 2,180 a night.

The opening comes as Dubai's economy is reeling from the global economic downturn, which has revealed deep debt problems in the city-state.

Many of Dubai's high-end hotels were forced to slash rates to cope with the slump, though business has begun to improve in recent months, according to Deloitte.

Dubai's newest five-star hotel is the first part of the 2,717 foot (828 meters) Burj Khalifa to open to the public since the 124th-floor observation deck welcomed its first visitors in January, Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.