How my night with Beyoncé became the most embarrassing experience

Unlimited Moët champagne, food created by the world’s finest chefs including Caviar for breakfast, and Beyoncé playing live for the first time in four years, no wonder the launch of the new Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai was billed the showbiz event of the year so far.

I was one of the lucky few to be invited to the grand opening of the Emirate city’s latest plush resort, joining A-listers from across the globe for a weekend of VIP treatment that was quite simply lavish to the extreme.

US model Kendall Jenner, Australian actress Rebel Wilson and One Direction singer Liam Payne were some of the stars on the guest list and it’s easy to see why they made room in their packed diaries to fly across the world for three-nights of luxury inside the new opulent hotel.

There was no expense spared for the launch, Beyoncé was paid a reported £24million to perform her hour-long set, which finished with a monumental firework display that lit up the Dubai skyline. 

And sheer expenditure was certainly the theme of the weekend, as guests quickly discovered as soon as they stepped foot off the plane.

Atlantis The Royal, which is the sister hotel to Atlantis The Palm, has taken eight years to construct so New York designers Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates clearly wanted the launch to be like no other.   

I was greeted by a chaperone as I arrived in Dubai, and was whisked through airport security, my luggage had been collected for me, and I was given a goodie bag, which included a peppermint infused towel to freshen up, essential oils, and some delicious dates, which are a delicacy in the city.

It was easy to spot the hotel as I was chauffeured towards the grand entrance.The exterior of the building is a sight to behold, located on Dubai’s the Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis The Royal is shaped like a game of Jenga on steroids, with each block flawlessly resting upon the next, piling up 43 storeys high.

Walking into the hotel for the first time, you’re surrounded by walls of flowing water and every other second fire flames ignited from the ground, creating both a feeling of serene relaxation and intense drama as you entered the marble-floored reception.

In front of you is a grand metal display of droplets towering up to the ceiling, two aquariums with tropical fish, and a building block of designer Louis Vuitton suitcases delicately placed in a pool of water, not to mention several arrangements of beautiful pink peonies.

The grand event was christened by a 5ft6 handcrafted cake that was adorned with iced flowers, birds, butterflies, and 900 edible pearls that took 2,000 hours to make by luxury confectionary company Little Venice Cake. 

My first port of call was The Royal Pool, naturally, which is just one of 90 property-wide, and I instantly knew how special the weekend was going to be as I saw the array of celebrities sunning themselves, cocktail in hand, beside the water.

Supermodel Jodie Kidd, former Made In Chelsea couple Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor, TV presenter Mark Wright and his actress wife Michelle Keegan, and This Morning host Rochelle Humes alongside husband Marvin were just some of the stars basking in the Dubai sunshine. 

British Vogue Editor Edward Enninful, PrettyLittleThing CEO Umar Kamani, Idris Elba’s model wife Sabrina, and Emily In Paris actress Ashley Park, who sobbed as Beyoncé performed, were also in attendance at the star-studded extravaganza.

The food and drink flowed 24 hours a day from the 17 restaurants and bars created by the world’s top chefs including Heston Blumenthal, Jose Andres, and Nobu Matsuhisa, who also opened their first ever beach club at the billion pound resort.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and with over 960 individual pieces to choose from including poached eggs topped with caviar, hundreds of carefully crafted croissants laced with caramel or infused with pistachio, and mango flavoured brioche, you won’t tire of options at the buffet.

I had been offered my first glass of champagne, which was also accessible via a Moët vending machine, if you so wished, situated poolside, before spotting none other than Jay-Z playing backgammon with two friends by the pool bar.

The uniqueness of the event was summed up by the fact Jay-Z, the world’s most famous rapper and husband of Beyoncé, was mingling among star-struck guests.He would usually have his own area or several layers of security around him — but not at Atlantis The Royal.    

And it wasn’t just Jay-Z who had jetted in to support Beyoncé as she took to the stage for her first live performance since 2018.

The superstar, whose latest album Renaissance was released in July and is the first part of a three-act project, announced to the invite-only crowd that her parents, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Mathew Knowles, daughter Blue Ivy, 11, and five-year-old twins Rumi and Carter, were also with her in Dubai to celebrate the historic launch.

Watching Beyoncé in such an intimate setting, with the singer in touching distance, was an unforgettable moment.

She was elevated onto the stage by a rising platform and the audience shrieked with excitement as finally Queen B herself had arrived after keeping a low profile and —according to staff members — taken hidden entrances and exits as she made her way around the resort prior to the big performance.

Wearing a yellow floor-length gown with thigh-high slits and encrusted with acrylic shards from the waist down on a backdrop of sun-shaped feathers, Beyonce begun by singing Etta James’s ‘At Last’, a song she performed at President Obama’s inauguration in 2015 and which marked the end of an eight-year wait for the hotel to open.

Beyoncé’s performance was flawless, her voice like crystal, every dance move and hand gesture on the beat as she sung the likes of Halo, XO, I Care, and Bigger, and as the party really started Crazy In Love, Beautiful Liar, and Naughty Girl, before concluding with Drunk In Love.

The crowd were desperate for her to play Renaissance tracks so we could be the first in the world to hear Break My Soul or Energy live but in true superstar style, she kept us wanting more.

Guests watched Beyoncé while sipping yet more champagne from customised glasses that were inscribed with the date of the performance and wrapped in black cashmere shawls that were handed out as the evening temperature dipped. 

We were all gifted a band to wear to access Beyoncé’s show.Created by female-run jewellery brand Pichulik, the bracelet, which is nude coloured with blue stones that represent water and wind, is not the typical wristband you get at a festival or nightclub. 

Beyoncé’s team said the star demanded a no-phone policy and attendees were told that ‘if you respected her as an artist, you wouldn’t film or take photos of the performance’ as well as a smoking ban.

We were given pouches to put our phones in yet still the internet was alight with footage of the show including when Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy joined her on stage, the pair holding hands, as they came together for Grammy Award winning Brown Skin Girl.  

The only way to watch Beyoncé, who had three costume changes and performed with the backdrop of all-female Lebanese dance troupe Mayyas, was to feel as glamorous as she looked, which was no problem for guests at Atlantis The Royal.

Floor 28 of the Sunrise Tower was specially dedicated to beautifying.An entire corridor of suites, where you could get your hair and makeup done, which looked out onto a spectacular view of The Palm Islands, was packed with glamour professionals.  

The only issue with strutting through an immaculately shiny, marble floored reception in stilettos was keeping upright, as I unfortunately learned the hard way.

After being pampered head-to-toe, I fell backwards into a water feature, right in front of 1D singer Liam and his new girlfriend Kate Cassidy. 

It was the most mortifying experience of my life, and I had nowhere to hide — especially as I didn’t fancy holding my breath underwater for a few minutes until the A-list crowd dispersed.

Thanks to hotel staff, with the help of numerous hair dryers, I was able to return to Friday night’s Feast of Dreams event without leaving puddles of water behind me and damp backside marks on the new chairs. 

Even Beyoncé herself would have struggled to style that one out!