Tilal Liwa Hotel near Madinat Zayed in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi is a popular destination for tourists and residents on staycation.
Visitors shouldn’t be too surprised, however, if they stumble upon groups excitedly trying to construct a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows.
This is one of several exercises designed to generate teamwork skills among individuals on a very different agenda.
Besides hosting those on leisure breaks, Tilal Liwa boosts occupancy via a teambuilding offering directed at UAE companies. The desert property aims to lure organisations seeking to motivate staff or host meetings in alternative surroundings, without the distractions of a city centre-based retreat, by offering team-building activities designed to replicate challenging situations at work.
Team bonding and cooperation is encouraged through games such as a map-based treasure hunt or a “battle of the air bands” in which participants perform a lip-synched version of a song as a unit.
While some of the activities may sound a little tenuous, there’s no arguing with the location. Activities can take place inside or out, including the Rub Al Khali desert or using Bedouin tents on its edge. A team-building schedule can be arranged either in-house or by a visiting organisation.
Tasks completed, Tilal Liwa offers guests the usual comforts expected of a four-star UAE hotel. Wi-Fi is complimentary and mostly speedy throughout communal areas and the 111 guest rooms. Meeting facilities include an LCD projector and stationary. There is a business centre, majlis and a meeting room, plus pre-function area for receptions.
Guest rooms are modern with passive colours. Beneath a bed-facing flat screen TV is a long desk for working, with access to power points. Each has a terrace or a balcony, facing either the dunes or a courtyard.
You’re also supplied with a small stand-alone table and two armchairs and, on the terrace, seating and another small table for a laptop. There’s no power point, so charge up first.
q&a with quad bikes for hire
David Dunn finds out more about the Tilal Liwa Hotel:
How far is it to the hotel?
It’s about a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi or three hours from Dubai.
How much does it cost to stay there?
The summer promotion rates start at Dh249 with breakfast and 25 per cent off food and beverages. The delegate package starts from Dh799 per night, including breakfast and lunch, morning and afternoon coffee breaks, meeting room access, LCD projector and stationery and use of the business centre. Rates are subject to 16 per cent service charge and tourism fee and based on a minimum of 10 rooms being booked.
What about dining and downtime?
The main Al Badiya restaurant serves breakfast, dinner and lunch. Refreshments are also available at Al Liwan bar, by the pool and in Layali bar. It is also possible to do BBQ under the stars by arrangement. There is a fitness centre and a pool overlooking the desert as well as table tennis, table football and sand volleyball.
Who uses Tilal Liwa for business and team building?
The hotel says most bookings are from companies in pharmaceuticals, the oil and gas industry and event management, as well as government entities.
What else is there to do in and around Tilal Liwa?
The hotel has quad bikes for hire and reception can book a camel trek or a desert safari. You can also visit the Liwa forts of Jabbana, Qutuf and Mezzaira. And, say hello to Shady, the resident hotel camel.
business@thenational.ae
* The writer was a guest of the hotel
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The view from The National
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
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