Faisaliah Hotel, a landmark at the heart of the city's Olaya district, has won three nominations in the World Travel Awards - the travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars. The World Travel Awards is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with a series of glittering gala events around the globe to announce the winners. Al-Faisaliah Hotel, one of three Rosewood Hotels & Resorts properties in Saudi Arabia, has been nominated as the Middle East's Leading Hotel, Saudi Arabia's Leading Business Hotel and Saudi Arabia's Leading Hotel. The Middle East winners will be announced at Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace on Oct. 28, 2008 after thousands of travel professionals around the world have cast their votes online. The Lord Norman Foster-designed structure, soaring a mighty 874 feet, is regarded as Saudi Arabia's first skyscraper. It is also the first choice for UAE travellers who want an outstanding hospitality experience. All 197 rooms and 27 suites exude a world of sophistication, elegance and gracious hospitality. It's a hotel that was designed to make guests feel like royalty, and the jewel in the crown is a stunning award-winning Royal Suite which opens up dramatic views of Riyadh from a private terrace and features a four-poster master king-bedded room, a dedicated butler's pantry, lounge decorated in designer furnishings, private dining room ideal for hosting events for up to 10 guests, and opulent bathrooms with separate steam showers and a sunken Jacuzzi. In addition to hotel's round the clock butler service, guests are pampered by exceptional concierge and valet services, and a list of in-room amenities which seems almost endless, touch-screen control for lighting, curtains and temperature, and extravagant touches that include Lady Primrose's royal bathing & skin luxuries. British renowned artist Brian Clark has created at the Al Faisaliah a spectacular glass wall comprising nearly 2,392 square feet of fully tempered float glass. Each of the wall's 350 panels measures approximately 67 inches x 114 inches. The 79-foot-wide by 265-foot-high masterpiece installed in the elegant five-story atrium-style lobby is the largest stained glass work ever produced. For diners, Al Faisaliah Hotel has selections beyond compare in the Middle East - the Cristal grillroom, La Brasserie, Café Royal, and IL Terrazzo with its offering of Brazilian barbeque prepared in accordance to a 300-year-old South American tradition. Atop the landmark Al Faisaliah Tower is a spectacular three-story dome restaurant, The Globe, serving exceptional food high above the city and capped by Riyadh's first cigar lounge. Scenic glass elevators and a staircase on the interior rim of each of the three floors bring guests to a breathtaking destination. Hotel guests will find this to be much more than a hotel as it is located at the heart of the iconic Al Faisaliah Center, which also offers superb conference and banqueting facilities and a lavish shopping mall. As an architectural statement, the Center is profound: the 875-foot tower has transformed Riyadh's skyline, and for those at ground level the imaginative use of space has re-invigorated the traditional urban concept of balance and interaction in a place where people work, live and relax. __
