Tourists looking for a comfortable hotel in Annemasse and its surroundings should look elsewhere. The two top-of-the-range establishments in the region, namely the Novotel d’Annemasse and the Mercure de Gaillard, are no longer taking reservations. However, they do not display full. The reason? the reigning family of the United Arab Emirates has privatized all of these hotels, including rooms, restaurants and bars, swimming pools, spas and other places of relaxation. This during the two summer months.
Meanwhile, Mohammed ben Zayed al-Nahyane and his family are on vacation nearby, in their palace on a hill in Vétraz-Monthoux, a town of 9,000 inhabitants. The prince never moves without his retinue (servants, his security, a few ministers and advisers) and therefore has a habit of “requisitioning” to accommodate his staff.
