Hospitality
AWARD-WINNING PALESTINIAN RESTAURANT BAIT MARYAM OPENS AT CITY CENTRE MIRDIF
Bait Maryam has opened its doors at City Centre Mirdif, bringing its home-style Levantine cooking and warm hospitality to one of Dubai’s most loved family destinations. The award-winning Palestinian restaurant, founded by chef Salam Daqqaq in 2017, now welcomes guests in the heart of eastern Dubai.
Bait Maryam was built on a simple belief. Food is a form of hospitality, and every guest deserves to feel at home. That belief has guided the restaurant from its first dining room in Jumeirah Lakes Towers to its table in Sharjah, and now to Mirdif. The recipes remain the ones chef Salam learned in her mother’s kitchen, prepared with the same care and served with the same warmth. What began as one woman’s tribute to her mother has grown into a home that thousands now share.
Step inside and the room feels familiar. Soft tones, natural textures, and hand-painted crockery echo the warmth of a Levantine home. Service follows the same rhythm, unhurried and generous, the way a good host makes time for every guest. The design carries the same intention as the food, to make people feel they belong.
City Centre Mirdif welcomes millions of families each year, many from the communities who hold Levantine food close to home. Bait Maryam feels at home among them. The new location offers the same generous table, the same familiar flavours, and the same welcome that guests have come to know. For a neighbourhood built around family, it is a natural fit.

The menu carries the heart of the Levant. Guests can begin with hummus and fresh bread, then move to the signature fatet Maryam musakhan, chicken with sumac and onions over yoghurt, finished with fried bread the way chef Salam’s mother once made it. Slow-cooked lamb mansaf, crispy cauliflower with tahina, and kabab Hamoudi bring the table together, with knafeh and ashta to finish. Every plate is made for sharing, in the spirit of a family gathering, where the table stays full and the conversation stays long.
Bait Maryam’s approach has earned it lasting recognition, including a Michelin Bib Gourmand held for three consecutive years and a place among the region’s most respected kitchens. The awards affirm the work, and the measure that matters most stays the same. For chef Salam, the greatest reward remains a full table and a happy guest.
“Bait Maryam has always been about welcoming people the way we welcome family. My mother taught me that a full table is a form of love, and that lesson has shaped everything I cook. Opening in Mirdif means a great deal to me. This is a neighbourhood full of families who carry these flavours in their memories, and I want them to walk in and feel at home from the very first moment” said Salam Daqqaq, founder of Bait Maryam.
The Mirdif opening joins Bait Maryam in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and 06 Mall Sharjah, alongside the group’s elevated Levantine concept, Sufret Maryam.
Hospitality
Qatar Airways Unveils Onboard Signature Music Created in Partnership with Award-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer
Qatar Airways today unveiled its new onboard signature music, created in partnership with world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer.
Inspired by Qatar and its culture, Qatar Airways’ new onboard music brings a distinctive sound identity to the passenger experience through its collaboration with the iconic composition of Hans Zimmer. The music is also featured on the ‘Burgundy Symphony’ album, a bespoke five-track album that encapsulates the airline’s wider sound identity and signature sound elements.
The collaboration brings together Zimmer’s acclaimed cinematic storytelling and Qatar Airways’ commitment to delivering memorable experiences, creating a recognisable sound that reflects the emotions, moments and memories that define travel.
The launch was celebrated at Hans Zimmer’s highly-anticipated concert in Doha on 6 November, where audiences were given an exclusive first look at the story behind the collaboration through a specially created film on the creative process and inspiration behind Burgundy Symphony, alongside a preview of the music. Qatar Airways passengers can experience the new composition onboard from today.
The Burgundy Symphony album captures the rhythm of travel through five original tracks, each reflecting a different stage of the journey:
Dawn opens the collection with a sense of anticipation and possibility experienced when stepping beyond the daily routine and discovering new horizons.
Dusk reflects the tranquillity of flight as daylight fades and travellers are carried above the clouds beneath a sky illuminated by stars.
The Orchard introduces a restorative pause, inspired by moments of calm and reflection amidst the pace of everyday life. The inspiration for the composition is drawn from the sense of escape offered by the ORCHARD – one of Hamad International Airport’s most distinctive passenger experiences.
Homecoming reflects the quiet gift of returning home and the small but lasting ways travel enriches life. The track encapsulates the adventure continues beyond touchdown, with memories of places and skies keeping moments of wonder alive long after the journey ends.
An Ode to Qatar, concludes the album with a tribute to the nation’s rich heritage and forward-looking vision. The piece brings together a sense of history, culture, and ambition, reflecting a country where tradition and progress exist in harmony.
Following the unveiling, Burgundy Symphony is now available on the Qatar Airways YouTube channel, inviting audiences around the world to experience Hans Zimmer’s original compositions inspired by the journey of travel and the spirit of Qatar Airways.
Hospitality
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah Wins Sustain Sharjah Award for Second Year Running
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah has won the Sustain Sharjah award for Hotel Properties at the Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum 2026, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). This marks the resort’s second consecutive recognition under the initiative.
The accolade acknowledges the property’s progress at Level 2 of the programme’s Explorers journey, structured around four core pillars: Guest, Experience, Local, and Story. Across each pillar, the resort has prioritised measurable, practical measures that engage guests, support the surrounding community, and ensure transparent sustainability reporting.
Central to this achievement are three primary operational initiatives:
- Onsite water bottling plant: Replaces single-use plastics with reusable glass bottles, eliminating approximately 300,672 plastic bottles annually.
- Winnow AI food-waste system: Weighs and monitors kitchen waste in real time, enabling culinary teams to curb excess directly at source.
- Onsite biodigester: Installed in 2026, making the property the first hotel in Sharjah to process organic waste entirely on site.
Commenting on the achievement, Iftikhar Hamdani, Area General Manager of Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, said: “Securing the Sustain Sharjah award for the second consecutive year is an honour for our entire team. Initiatives such as our water bottling plant, AI-driven waste monitoring, and onsite biodigester reflect our daily operational commitment—one shared with our guests, partners, and the local community. We thank the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority for this recognition and for their steady leadership in advancing sustainable tourism across the emirate.”
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah is a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and continues to align its operations with broader international climate targets.
Hospitality
Qatar Airways Connects Doha to Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogotá, Colombia with First Flight
Qatar Airways has inaugurated its new twice-weekly service connecting Doha with Caracas and Bogotá. The service represents a significant milestone for the airline, as Qatar Airways becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela, and the first airline to operate nonstop services from the Middle East to both Bogotá and Caracas. The new route underscores the airline’s commitment to strengthening global connectivity for the region and is operated on Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.
Qatar Airways flights to Caracas (CCS) and Bogotá (BOG)
Qatar Airways’ flight schedule has been designed to provide smooth onward connections through Hamad International Airport to key markets including Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. This offers passengers greater flexibility and seamless transfer options across Qatar Airways’ global network of over 170 destinations.
Departing every Wednesday and Sunday:
Doha (DOH) to Bogotá (BOG) – Flight QR783: Departure 07:35; Arrival 16:25
Bogotá (BOG) to Caracas (CCS) – Flight QR783: Departure 17:55; Arrival 21:00
Caracas (CCS) to Doha (DOH) – Flight QR783: Departure 23:30; Arrival 20:35
The addition of Caracas and Bogotá marks the 16th and 17th destinations in the Americas served by Qatar Airways. The airline began serving South America in 2010 with its inaugural flight to Brazil’s São Paulo.
The airline has recently expanded its partnership with LATAM to include LATAM Airlines Colombia, offering travellers greater access to the region. Qatar Airways will place its code on LATAM-operated flights between Bogotá and key domestic destinations including Cartagena, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Leticia, Medellín, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Pasto, Riohacha, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, and Yopal.
Qatar Airways continues to strengthen global connectivity, serving more than 170 destinations this winter. Bookings can be made at qatarairways.com or through the airline’s mobile app.
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