The 285-room Meydan opened to guests for the first time on Dubai’s horseracing “Super Thursday,” March 4.

With rooms overlooking the track, the hotel is likely to be a hit for racing fanatics, with seven restaurants and bars and a rooftop pool.

The property will feature 1 Royal Suite, 2 Presidential Suites, 8 Meydan Suites, 19 Panoramic Suites and 255 Balcony Deluxe Rooms.

In just two weeks early last year, an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became the owner of nine waterfront mansions in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.

His name is Heydar Aliyev. That also happens to be the name of the son of Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev.

Furthermore, Dubai records show the purchaser’s date of birth to be the same as that of the president’s son.

The Washington Post newspaper reported that they were bought in a two-week shopping spree last year for about $44 million - 10,000 times the average annual salary in Azerbaijan.

A leak in Dubai Mall’s massive aquarium on Thursday led to shoppers being evacuated and boutiques closed around the major attraction, witnesses said.

The perimeter of the aquarium, said to be the largest in the world and which holds a number of different fish including sharks, has been cordoned off and shops around it closed.

“A leak was observed” at one of the points where the panels of the Dubai Aquarium intersect, Dubai Mall said in a statement.

Italian fashion brand Armani announced that it is now accepting bookings for its first hotel, which opens March 18 in Dubai.

The luxe label has chosen the just-opened Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) — the world’s largest tower — to host its first venture into hospitality.

More hotels are planned for Milan, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and London, although no dates have been specified at this point.

This was filmed in Dubai over 5 days and nights by Philip Bloom. Beautiful!

London’s Mirror reports that the ruler of Dubai offered Victoria Beckham $40 million to help design a luxury hotel.

Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum personally wrote Beckham an email explaining his offer, the story says.

He reportedly asked her to put her name on the hotel and consult on the choice of room design and furnishings.