EXCLUSIVE: Armani Hotel launch postponed

The much anticipated launch of the luxury Armani Hotel, Dubai on Wednesday has been postponed by six days, Arabian Business can reveal.

As the volcanic eruption in Iceland continues to ground flights in and out of Europe, bosses at Emaar on Sunday decided to move the opening to Tuesday April 27.

Giorgio Armani had been due to arrive in Dubai early this week, along with hundreds of VIP guests and celebrities.

The hotel’s media launch was due on Wednesday morning, followed by a major launch party on Wednesday night. The party was due to have included a special fashion show.

It is understood the plans for the event will remain as before but take place six days later.

A collaboration between famed Italian designer Giorgio Armani and Emaar Properties, the 160-room hotel was initially scheduled to open last year.

The opening of the Armani Hotel in Dubai is due to be followed by the launch of the Armani Hotel Milano.

Other properties underway include the first Armani Resort, planned for Marrakech, and the first Armani Residences villas, for Marassi in Egypt.

Further Armani hotels, resorts and residences will open subsequently in key international destinations such as New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and London.

But this week’s big event is now off as the disruption to flights shows no sign of easing.

Emirates Airline said on Sunday that the disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption was "unprecedented in aviation history".

The Dubai carrier said it was currently providing hotel accommodation and three meals per day for more than 5,000 transit passengers at a cost of more than $1 million per day.

To date, 229 Emirates flights have been cancelled and over 73,000 passengers have been impacted by the ongoing disruption while all Gulf carriers have cancelled flights to the UK and mainland Europe.