Pyramidic façade and Dubai skyline 
The "Botanical Sky Garden"
Bedroom door handle details
Reception lobby 
Pyramid crown – nightclub seating area 
Internal view of entrance
‘Fire & Ice’ restaurant, 1 of 11 within the hotel
Presidential suite 
Bar statue
Bedroom ensuite
Business suite
Seating in the sky
Marble staircase
The air up there
Hieroglyphs
"Khartoum Head" by Red Hot
Programme 4
Overview
As one of the newest additions to the growing Dubai hotel scene, this 18-storey, pyramid-shaped icon is fast emerging as a new favourite. It sits adjacent to the popular Wafi shopping complex and within a short distance of the downtown business area, gold souks and busy Sheikh Zayed Road.
Architect
The hotel's signature pyramid shape was conceived by architect Bryn Lummus and developed locally by lead architect Michael Warr of Arif & Bintoak.
History
Raffles Dubai was built by the Wafi Group, a Dubai-based business conglomerate that invested more than U$140m on its first luxury hotel project. The Wafi group entered into an agreement where the hotel would be managed and operated by the Singapore-based hospitality chain Raffles Hotels and Resorts. The agreement also marked Raffles' entry into the Middle East. The Dubai Raffles project is also noteworthy because it was perhaps the first ever Raffles hotel to be newly built, as most hotels operated by the company are mostly buildings with historical importance which were bought over by Raffles Hotels and Resorts.
Features
Inside, local design firm LW Design Group pushed the contemporary factor, using clean, angular lines paired with a restrained approach to ornamentation in common areas. Luxury is expressed in detail and rich material choices. Walls and oversized columns are made of honed Egyptian stone; the latter decorated sparingly with traditional carvings. Elaborate metalwork features are found in column capitals and lighting elements throughout, while stark backlit alcoves hold and highlight Egyptian sculptures preventing a cluttered bazaar-esque feel. A keen Egyptologist, the hotel's owner, Sheikh Mana bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, has included subtle Middle Eastern accents to give this modern hotel a sense of place. There are examples of Arabic art and replicas of the colossal statues in Karnak, and motifs of the Eye of Horus are woven into carpets leading to all 248 suites. The sheikh is also an avid horticulturist so has ensured there is a spectacular one-hectare Botanical Sky Garden which can be found on the third floor of the hotel. Each suite has a theme: earth (features natural hues of creams and browns), fire (fiery splashes of colour in the fabrics and dark timber finishes), air (subtle blends of creams and whites create a soft, calming ambience) and water (elaborate fountains and moving water) and boasts panoramic views of the city with a separate lounge room.