Plans afoot to restore The Address Downtown Hotel to its former glory

The Address Downtown Hotel, which caught fire on the New Year’s eve, will be restored to all its glory, Emaar Properties said in a statement on Saturday.

However, the statement added that the timeline and plans to restore and reopen the hotel will be shared as they are finalised.

“We are extremely thankful to the leadership and guidance of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for keeping our morale high, and for his prompt directives that enabled us to deal with a challenging situation with utmost professionalism,” said Mohammad Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties.

He said that the immediate priority was to ensure the safety of the guests and colleagues. “We evacuated all of them safely in record time in the most orderly fashion. The authorities also ensured the safety of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Downtown Dubai,” he said.

He said that all the hotel guests and residents were relocated across various Emaar and other hotels in the city. “We have set up a dedicated team from different departments of Emaar to ensure that all requirements of our guests are being met immediately. We thank our guests for their understanding and patience,” he added.

He also thanked the management teams and staff of various hotels in Dubai, who stepped forward unconditionally to support us in relocating our guests. This is a true testament to how Dubai operates as ‘one team’.

“We are thankful to Dubai Police Chief Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina; Director General of Dubai Civil Defence, Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, and the heads, first officers and staff members of all the Dubai government entities who demonstrated their superb commitment and dedication. We especially thank the Dubai Civil Defence officials for their exceptional bravery and hard work,” he said.

“The teams across Dubai government entities are the true heroes. Their noble work gives Dubai’s people and the business community the sense of security, comfort and confidence.”

Alabbar also thanked various Embassy and Consulate officials in the UAE for their support in facilitating the travel and documentation process for guests.

“The authorities and staff at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Dubai International Airport, Emirates Airline and other airline companies were quick to extend support to our guests, and we are grateful to them for their kind consideration and care in ensuring the well-being of our guests.”