Hospitality
ME BY MELIÁ DUBAI INVITES GUESTS TO ‘GET FESTIVE WITH ME’: WINTER DINING, SPA ESCAPES & SUNLIT CELEBRATIONS
As Dubai’s perfect winter weather arrives and the festive season comes to life, ME by Meliá Dubai invites guests to embrace December with a curated lineup of seasonal experiences. Guests can savour comforting holiday flavours with Central Restaurant’s Festive Business Lunch, enjoy relaxed evenings under the stars with the newly launched Grill by ME, an elegant daily al-fresco dining experience that also offers a special New Year’s Eve celebration – or unwind with indulgent spa rituals designed to restore balance during the busiest time of year.
With its chic atmosphere, thoughtful dining concepts, wellness-led offerings, and sun-soaked cabana moments by the pool, December at ME by Meliá Dubai is an invitation to celebrate the season and indulge in the art of living well.
New Year’s Eve at ME by Meliá Dubai
Ring in 2026 in true ME style as the Pool Terrace transforms into a vibrant open-air celebration beneath Dubai’s glittering skyline. With the city’s glittering lights as the backdrop, guests can look forward to an evening filled with flavour, music, and memorable moments shared among friends and loved ones.
Savour an international feast featuring live cooking stations, indulge in festive favourites thoughtfully prepared by the culinary team, and enjoy dynamic live entertainment that sets the tone for a night of joyful anticipation. As midnight approaches, gather for an electrifying countdown as we welcome the arrival of 2026 in signature ME fashion.
Marc-Antoine Barrois x ME by Meliá Dubai – A New Creative Collaboration
ME by Meliá Dubai welcomes an exclusive collaboration with Maison Marc-Antoine Barrois, the independent French couture and fragrance house renowned for its poetic surrealism, refined craftsmanship, and singular artistic universe. Known for modern olfactory icons such as B683, Ganymede, Encélade, and the Maison’s newest creation, Tilia, the brand brings its imaginative aesthetic into the hotel’s architectural landmark.
As part of the collaboration, guests will discover a Marc-Antoine Barrois–designed Christmas tree displayed in the hotel’s dramatic atrium, an installation that reflects the Maison’s timeless elegance and its distinctive blend of creativity and wonder.
In addition, a curated selection of Marc-Antoine Barrois fragrances will be available for purchase daily from 12pm to 8pm, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the brand’s celebrated creations within ME by Meliá Dubai’s vibrant cultural setting.
Festive Business Lunch at Central Restaurant
This December, Central Restaurant invites guests to take a well-deserved pause from the seasonal rush and indulge in a Festive Business Lunch crafted to inspire warmth, connection, and culinary delight. Thoughtfully curated by the Executive Chef, the menu showcases the very best of the season with dishes that celebrate comforting flavours and elegant festive flair. Guests can begin with the velvety Velouté of Chestnut & Pumpkin soup, a rich blend of roasted pumpkin and chestnut that captures the essence of winter, or opt for the vibrant Mediterranean Octopus, paired with potato, baby romaine, and a bold black garlic emulsion for a fresh, refined start.
For the main course, highlights include the beautifully Herbed Turkey Roulade, served with rosemary-roasted root vegetables and a bright cranberry reduction, a sophisticated take on a holiday classic, alongside the indulgent Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder, finished with parsnip purée, roasted baby carrots, and a deep, aromatic jus. Guests seeking a meat-free option will enjoy the comforting Artichoke Risotto, finished with parmesan, mushroom, and parsley for a fragrant, creamy finish.
To end on a sweet, celebratory note, desserts offer a truly festive finale: the decadent Buche de Noël with dark chocolate and kirsch-soaked cherries, the delicate Festive Triffle layered with vanilla meringue and berries, and the beautifully spiced Winter Ginger Mille-Feuille, infused with warm winter spices and caramel.
Whether dining solo, taking a well-earned break from festive shopping with friends, or gathering colleagues for a cheerful Christmas lunch, this midday experience offers a deliciously memorable way to savour the season.
Wellness by ME – Get Festive with ME
This festive season, Wellness by ME invites guests to step into a world of serene indulgence with Get Festive With ME – a curated collection of joyful spa experiences designed to inspire relaxation, rejuvenation, and well-being. From hydrating facials to warm, aromatic massages, each treatment promises moments of pure bliss, complemented by complimentary access to the pool, sauna, and gym with every spa booking.
Guests can immerse themselves in Holiday Bliss (AED 500), featuring a 60-minute Hydra Boost Facial paired with a 30-minute Rescue Release Massage, or unwind with the Winter Warmer (AED 450), combining a soothing 60-minute Recovery Warm Oil Massage with a 30-minute Lavender Luxe Buff Body Scrub for ultimate seasonal comfort. For the generous gifter, For Your Santa offers exceptional value with packages of five 60-minute massages or four 90-minute massages, both at AED 1,750, delivering substantial savings and unforgettable relaxation.
For those looking to treat someone special this season but unsure what to gift, spa gift certificates, starting from AED 450 – offer the perfect gesture of indulgence.
Grill by ME
As the weather turns perfect for al-fresco dining, enjoy a relaxed yet elegant evening at ME by Meliá Dubai’s striking Pool Terrace with Grill by ME. Set inside the architectural icon that redefined the city’s skyline, this new open-air dining experience pairs contemporary style with effortless comfort – the kind of place where chilled beats, live grill stations, and ME Dubai’s signature modern energy come together seamlessly. Guests can explore a thoughtfully curated buffet featuring fresh salads, handmade pasta crafted at interactive stations, sizzling grilled favourites, and decadent desserts, all designed to elevate simple flavours with finesse.
Perfect for intimate evenings or vibrant gatherings with family and friends, Grill by ME offers a refined yet welcoming atmosphere that captures the spirit of Dubai after dark.
The Cabana Experience
Soak up the winter sunshine in ultimate style with the Cabana Experience. Perfect for sunbathing, splashing in the pool, or simply lounging in comfort, each cabana is designed to be a private oasis. Standard room guests can enjoy a cabana for AED 250 (for two people), complete with two refreshing beverages of choice, mineral water, cooling towels and a hand fan, plus sun protection by Deeper Beauty to keep everyone perfectly pampered under the sun. Suite guests receive a complimentary cabana with the same indulgent inclusions. Whether it’s sipping a chilled drink poolside, cooling off in the pool, or simply basking in the rays, the Cabana Experience transforms an ordinary day into a sun-soaked escape full of relaxation, fun, and effortless luxury.
Deeper Beauty – Sun Care Elevated
ME by Meliá Dubai proudly continues it’s collaboration with Deeper Beauty, a UAE-born SPF brand that seamlessly blends inclusivity, sustainability, and high-performance skincare. Crafted to protect and celebrate every skin tone, Deeper Beauty’s lightweight, non-white cast formula delivers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection without compromise, making it especially suited for darker complexions. Perfect for sun-soaked days by the pool or outdoor adventures, it ensures skin stays nourished, protected, and radiant.
Whether applied before a relaxing cabana day or on-the-go, Deeper Beauty makes sun protection effortless, effective, and suitable for every skin tone.
Hospitality
A Flavour-Packed International Burger Week at List Bar

From 25th to 30th May, List Bar presents a special International Burger Week experience, featuring a curated selection of expertly crafted burgers made with premium ingredients, all served in a lively and relaxed setting perfect for social gatherings or unwinding after a long day.
Each burger order is paired with a complimentary pint, adding extra value to this exclusive offering and making it an ideal choice for those looking to enjoy great food in a vibrant atmosphere.
Offer Details
Date: 25th to 30th May | Offer: Buy any burger and enjoy a complimentary pint | Location: List Bar, Al Jaddaf Rotana Suite Hotel
Hospitality
FROM FARM TO SHELF: THE CASE FOR SOURCING CLOSER TO HOME
Words by Firas Nasir, CEO of Organic Foods & Café and Co-CIO of the Gulf Japan Food Fund
The most consequential changes in business rarely announce themselves. They accumulate quietly in procurement decisions, in vendor reviews, and in sourcing conversations held far from the shop floor. What is happening inside UAE retail supply chains at the moment is exactly that kind of change. In the past, retailers across all formats built their vendor lists around established global suppliers who could deliver volume, compliance maturity, and operational consistency at scale. Local producers, by contrast, sometimes struggled to meet the benchmarks that major buyers required: reliable cold chain infrastructure, internationally recognised food safety certification, and the capacity to scale supply without compromising on delivery windows.
That gap has narrowed considerably, and the timing matters. Investment in UAE logistics infrastructure, including temperature-controlled warehousing, last-mile refrigerated delivery, and the development of alternative trade corridors, such as the Oman-UAE Green Corridor and the east coast ports of Khorfakkan and Fujairah, has given domestic suppliers a credible and sustainable path to retail shelves that simply did not exist half a decade ago.
The impact is most visible at retailers who made early commitments to domestic sourcing. For instance, Organic Foods and Cafe, which works with over 400 vendor partners across local and global supply chains, has tracked the evolution closely. Over the past four years, the composition of its vendor list has shifted meaningfully, with a clear move toward sourcing from closer geographies. This has improved product availability, reduced transit times, and meaningfully lowered the carbon footprint across key categories. The transitions have been most pronounced in beverages, fresh produce, and dairy, categories where domestic producers have invested seriously in quality and consistency. The products now earning space on shelves reflect genuine operational maturity, not simply a preference for local origin. Organic eggs from Risha Farms in Fujairah and fresh organic milk from Organiliciouz in Sharjah, both now stocked consistently, represent a generation of domestic suppliers that would not have met major retailer requirements a few years ago. Alongside them, homegrown brands, including ME Kombucha, Pure Harvest, Humantra, Nothing Silly, and Shake Your Plants, are finding sustained footing in channels that once defaulted to international names as a matter of course.
The broader retail sector is also responding. The Make it in the Emirates initiative, a government-led effort to boost domestic manufacturing and industrial investment initiative, has added meaningful policy weight to what was already becoming commercial common sense, with approved vendor lists across the industry being reviewed through a lens of supply chain resilience rather than simple cost optimisation. That recalibration has been sharpened further by recent events. Retailers who have already embedded local sourcing into their models have proved markedly better positioned to absorb the shock. Alternative freight channels were activated where necessary, but the businesses least exposed were those that had built domestic supplier relationships before disruption made it urgent.
Of course, challenges still remain. The shortage of organically certified local producers is a persistent gap, and the expectation from retailers has not softened, with domestic suppliers held to the same delivery, safety, and scalability standards as their international counterparts. But the pipeline of producers meeting that bar is growing, and the commercial argument has become difficult to dismiss. Faster turnaround, extended shelf life on domestic fresh goods, and meaningful resilience against freight volatility now outweigh the scale advantages that international suppliers once held unchallenged.
The restructuring of UAE retail around homegrown brands was already underway but the current geopolitical situation has expedited it to a new level. It is now being driven by hard commercial experience, enabled by maturing infrastructure, and supported by national policy. And the businesses that recognise it for what it is – a fundamental supply chain shift, not a sourcing trend – will be the ones who shape what UAE retail looks like in the decade ahead.
Hospitality
AT.MOSPHERE AT BURJ KHALIFA: FOUR MOMENTS, ABOVE THE ORDINARY

At At.mosphere, guests are welcomed to one of the city’s most coveted tables. High within the Burj Khalifa, dining takes on a rare stillness, with Dubai unfolding far below and the horizon dissolving into sky, creating a sense of scale that feels almost otherworldly.
At AED 155, the day moves through four distinct moments from morning to evening. No matter the hour, there’s a moment that fits.
Sunrise in the Sky – Breakfast
A slow start above the city with two organic eggs your style or fluffy pancakes with raspberry jam and vanilla Chantilly, alongside coffee as Dubai wakes beneath you.
Time: 8:00 am to 11:30 am
Business Lunch
A midday selection featuring roasted sea bream with black Venere rice or slow-cooked beef cheek with potato purée, finishing on something light.
Time: 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Afternoon Tea
Delicate sandwiches, warm English scones with jam and artisanal cream, and classic pastries served as the light shifts across the skyline.
Time: 2:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Golden Hour – Cocktails and Bites
Golden hour takes over with signature cocktails, curated bites, and a skyline that naturally draws you in.
Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
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