Abu Dhabi Hotel Regrets $11 Million Christmas Tree (VIDEO)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — An Abu Dhabi luxury hotel that boasted an $11 million Christmas tree decorated with gold and gems admitted Sunday it may have taken the holiday spirit a bit too far.

A statement from the Emirates Palace hotel said it regretted "attempts to overload" the Christmas tree tradition by adorning it with premium bling including gold, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones from a hotel jeweler.

The statement was a rare bit of reflection on the Gulf's ethos of excess. The tree was unveiled last week with full fanfare in a hotel that features its own gold bar vending machine and a one-week $1 million package that includes private jet jaunts around the Middle East.

But the hotel management apparently had second thoughts after questions arose about whether the opulent tree was innocent good cheer or unfortunate bad taste.

The hotel regrets "attempts to overload the tradition followed by most hotels in the country with meanings and connotations that do not fall in line with the (hotel's) professional standards," said a statement carried on the state-run news agency WAM.

The hotel even tried to distance itself from the 43-foot (13-meter) faux fir in one of its rotundas, saying a hotel-based jeweler was solely responsible for creating and decorating the tree.

"The hotel is just a venue for exhibiting the tree," the statement said.

The hotel also claimed the tree was not a stunt, but rather an effort to boost the holiday mood for its guests based on the United Arab Emirates' "values of openness and tolerance."

Although officially Muslim, the UAE features many signs of Christmas for its huge foreign population. Lights, carolers and Santas are fixtures in nearly every mall.

WATCH:

Comments

[eyecon]

11:58 AM on 12/25/2010

Keep in mind that 75% to 80% of the population of the UAE are non-citize­ns. These "guest workers" are essentiall­y indentured servants or slaves who are profoundly impoverish­ed. They are not permitted to change employers and their employer is usually holding their passport.

Pretty much what our southern GOPers would do if they could.

[RubalKhali]

12:08 AM on 12/26/2010

I have always had my passport, as do all the other expats I know. I have heard of people surrendering their passports , but have only ever had one person confirm this.The vast majority of expats , if not all are here because they want to be. Even the ones you claim as slaves, they make in a month what they would make in a year in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philipines, Bagladesh.That is why they are here.

[hornedcog]

09:19 AM on 12/25/2010

I applaud the use of a faux tree. Surely, it would have had to be a killed tree to satisfy Jesus in America. Although the opulence should infer passion for the believers.

[blutigeroo]

04:48 AM on 12/24/2010

I think there are many hypocrites on this board.
Many will spend beyond their means during the feastive season and yet they criticise the Emiratis for spending WITHIN THEIR MEANS. The US may be facing economic troubles but Dubai is not so there is no need to project the needs of Americans onto these people.
The second lot of hypocrites are those who scream stealth jihad when anything resembling 'Muslim culture' (term used loosely) is seen within a 200km radius of their homes.

[Magic 62]

10:01 AM on 12/24/2010

Actually Dubai is in trouble. It has no oil and their re-export business to Iran is under a lot of pressure. Abu Dabi on the other hand has plenty of petrodollars, and we would very much like it when they recycle their petrodollars back into western economies.

[blutigeroo]

10:13 AM on 12/24/2010

The Emirates have been gearing up to start a scholarship programme that will get it's idle youth doing something, the relationship between the the Emirates was solidified when Dubai was bailed out to the degree where the crazy, spoilt brat that is Dubai will no go on being a slightly less crazy but just as spoilt brat so I wouldn't bet on a Dubai failure just yet.
Regarding the recycling of petrodollars-I wouldn't bet on that either because business is business and for a long time the Western economies/businesses that are now in trouble conducting business just as brutually as we have come to expect in a hyper-capitalist, dog-eat-dog, sell icebergs to the penguins world. There is no reason to believe that the Arabs will behave any differently and there is no reason to hate on them for that or disguise jeolosy has justified hatred.

[jrsposter]

09:55 AM on 12/25/2010

Actually, there is no way that the tree itself could possibly cost $11 million. What runs up the "value" is the jewels on loan to the tree from a jeweler who hopes that this "over-the-top" display will encourage the obscenely wealthy to open their wallets and buy some of his wares. After the holiday season is over and the tree comes down, much of that $11 million value will return to its rightful owner.

In other words, this is advertising. Before you get yourself too outraged, think what a thirty-second spot during the Super Bowl costs the advertisers who buy them.

[The Evil Few]

01:54 AM on 12/24/2010

Rich, Gawdy, Trashy, New Money, Selfish, No consideration for the poor people of the planet. Based upon some comments, Now you know what other poor countries think about the USA. Now we are the poor country. (except for the Evil Few) Merry Kis-Ma-Ass Everyone.

[hornedcog]

09:36 AM on 12/25/2010

If they would quit "moderating" threads altogether, I would be able to laugh a lot more!

[RubalKhali]

12:11 AM on 12/26/2010

Yeah, wouldn't it be better spent on guns and missles like the U.S. does. BTW the 11 million is about what we give Israel daily in aid so they can spend it on weapons.At least they can reuse both the tree and the ornaments, unlike a hellfire missle.

[KellyRyan]

05:49 PM on 12/23/2010

Negative PR ... in a time of global need to help others. Dubai excels at less than positive attraction and image.

[blutigeroo]

04:50 AM on 12/24/2010

So you have never been part of the over-zealous materialism that is usually associated with Christmas?
I hope so.
Also, there has always been a need for people to help others. It's just that many people in developed nations only realize it now because they are feeling the pinch.

[Lochness71]

12:12 PM on 12/23/2010

This soooo wreaks of new money.

[belle255]

12:23 PM on 12/22/2010

In these times with people losing homes, jobs and having a hard time just feeding their family I think it was very inappropriate to flaunt this tree. In fact, I personally do not think any tree should cost that much.

[blutigeroo]

04:52 AM on 12/24/2010

Same but people have always been losing homes, jobs and facing a hard time somewhere in the world. It seems that the only reason you are taking issue with this is people you know or you yourself in financial trouble. Obviously, the people in Dubai are not facing the economic crisis that America is and there is absolutely no reason why the Emiratis should consider the feelings & difficulties faced by the American public before doing something like this.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

03:58 PM on 12/24/2010

When I looked at the video, what ran the price of the tree up were quite a number of what must be very expensive necklaces etc used in addition to normal tree ornaments -- it is a huge display of Jewelry that one or more Jewelers are trying to sell.

[Olaf Aalop]

07:42 PM on 12/21/2010

This is exactly the kind of tacky extravegence that has turned me off utterly about Christmas.
It's just more in your face. Otherwise it's all just varying degrees of mass merchandising.
This holiday is just empty ritual materialism. And if you buck this tradition you are just called a kill joy or looked upon as un christian, unamerican or anti social.

[blutigeroo]

04:52 AM on 12/24/2010

Here, here.

[sugarpops]

05:20 PM on 12/21/2010

Guess trashy excess knows no culture.

[Momklok]

03:54 PM on 12/21/2010

So glad an arab country is in the full spirfit of Christmas . . . uh, wait, isn't Christmas actually the birth of Jesus . . . so I guess they are still way off.

[C O R E]

03:35 AM on 12/23/2010

You seriously have no clue what your talking about...do you?

[Fattonecat]

07:05 PM on 12/24/2010

No less than YOU

[drjasonmd]

03:38 PM on 12/21/2010

Nobody does tacky like the UAE.

[MasterSmily]

01:43 PM on 12/21/2010

They, simply, got more than they bargained for in FREE PUBLICITY!

[Dorn76]

01:06 PM on 12/21/2010

So some rich American who spent $1000/night to stay there is concerned about the meaning of Christmas? That's not ironic, at all.

[Momklok]

03:56 PM on 12/21/2010

Just exactly where in this article is any American mentioned at all? But you have decided to lay the blame at America's feet. Typical. No one can ever be as bad as the US, that is until you need our soldiers to free your sorry asses from some invader.

[M Jeffrey]

02:32 AM on 12/25/2010

nonsense when was the last time America sent it forces to do a good deed, not since Korea that is when.

[mrbarth]

12:44 PM on 12/21/2010

Interesting, UAE allows santas in their malls, but Americans freak out if there was any kind of Ramadan decorations next to The Gap.

[victorsays]

06:10 PM on 12/28/2010

That's Christianity for you.

[ontariogirl]

12:28 PM on 12/21/2010

Totally over the top. That being said......can you please wrap up those gold ornaments and send them. I'll pay the postage.