The Sir Winston Churchill Suite was officially inaugurated Wednesday morning by Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman of Al Habtoor Group and Randolph Churchill, the great grandson of the erstwhile British Prime Minister.
The three-bedroom 913 square metres suite will house 15 art reproductions verified by the Sir Winston Churchill Heritage Ltd, that include paintings made by the man himself and photographs of him from the family albums.
“The whole suite captures his essence of life — [from the] moment that door opens [and you see] the incredible image of my great grandfather on V-Day in 1945. He would have been amazingly comfortable here — I don’t think any guest who comes here will ever want to leave,” Randolph Churchill told tabloid!. “It is, sort of, a complete oasis of peace and harmony in a busy world. It’s been done in the very best taste, style, architecture and the thought that’s gone into it is lovely. And I’m thrilled that these wonderful photographs from our family albums have come out so well and they show so much of my great grandfather’s personality, whether it’s a love of painting or reviewing the troops or giving a speech or there, [gesturing towards the photo behind us] happily smoking his cigars. It gives a huge flavour of his life”.
Apart from the three beautifully appointed bedrooms, the suite, styled by Louise Duggan of UAE-based Ophelia Arts Consultancy, also features a living room that extends on both sides of a central majestic marble staircase that leads to a relaxing lounge with a plunge pool, a formal 12-seater dining room, a study and a serving kitchen. The master bedroom is connected to a large ‘bathroom’ which houses a sunken bathtub flanked by ‘his’ and ‘her’ walk-in dressing rooms, a twin vanity and a separate “shower room”. Yes, room — given its size, it cannot be referred to a “shower stall”. The other two bedrooms — a double and a twin — come with their just as luxurious ensuite bathrooms. The rooftop pool lounge offers views of the landscaped gardens and surrounding areas, which are, unfortunately, for the moment under heavy construction.
“I think the whole of Dubai is the most remarkable vision any state could have had to develop such a beautiful city. When you say things have Churchill-ian style, you mean big and Dubai has really carved out for itself a place across the globe. People see it as a modern, diverse city which provides wonderful opportunities for people,” said Churchill, who said he was “thrilled to be here”.
Ironically, the only statue of Winston Churchill in the suite — the replica of a bust by Oscar Nemon, sculpted from live sittings by the statesman at 10 Downing Street — is barely bigger than a man’s palm. But Churchill says that the suite would fit in perfectly with his great grandfather’s expectations.
“He always said, ‘I’m very easily satisfied — only with the best’,” said Churchill, laughing.
Earlier, after the ribbon-cutting, Al Habtoor told the media why he was a “great admirer” of Sir Winston Churchill.
“Our nations — UAE and Britain — have a long story and history since a 100 years, when we were known as Trucial States. I was trying to think of a better title for [Winston Churchill] than just calling him ‘Sir’. I’ve read a lot about him and about his courage, his great decision-making, a great leader and someone who gave his 100 per cent in anything he did. I can’t speak enough about his achievements,” said Al Habtoor. “He was a man who made history. He believed that one’s best isn’t enough. To succeed, one has to do what’s necessary. Executing and exercising his qualities always works. Courage is what it takes to succeed. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen to someone”.
He then presented a 1949 La Corona Cubano cigar which was given by Sir Winston Churchill to Oscar C. Preuss, the manager of Parlophone Records.
“I purchased one of Sir Winston’s Churchill’s cigars for my private collection last year. He was rarely seen without a cigar in his hand. It was his signature piece. Once the decision was taken to name this spectacular suite after the wartime prime minister then it seemed fitting to share this piece of history with future guests of the Sir Winston Churchill Suite,” he said.
The cigar, in a La Espana box and in a Colorado claro wrapper with a special label bearing Churchill’s name, quickly found a place on the mantel under a reproduction of Churchill’s oil painting “Churchill under the Pergola” from the 1920s. It will probably find a more appropriate place in the suite later.
A stay at the sprawling suite comes with a price tag starting at Dh75,000 per night. For more information go to stregisdubai.com
