Review: Le Meridien Dubai (Emirates Dubai Connect Hotel)

Thanks very much for this comprehensive review. Last year, I booked my mom on EK Business from Canada to South Africa that required an overnight layover in Dubai including the free Connect hotel. I was worried a bit about how that would work for someone who is not as travel-savvy. It ended up being totally fine, but this sort of post would have been super helpful at the time.

You're right, really can't complain in this situation. I did like the desk area/nook. Dinner looked nice, too.

I looked up the hotel, and the rooms seemed to be renovated for those paying. Emirates contracted room that weren't renovated. I think that the hotel is fine. I have stayed in it before, and found it totally acceptable. (I was in paid first from Cape Town for $2,100)

Hi Ben,

This time I think you just went over with the critique since you were comped for your stay, yes I know you flew First and that you should have gotten maybe something more luxurious than what you received, but still all in all, the hotel was decent, food was decent and you were transported to and fro from the hotel and airport.
I know you are used to more luxurious places and properties, but what was offered is really decent and I would say appropriate even for a First class passenger on a paid ticket.

On the other hand, since you now know what you will be getting, and you can afford it, maybe it's better for you to book your own selected hotel the next time for your long layover.

Cheers!

I think you're completely in the right to be judgmental of the accommodation. In my opinion it was not free; you didn't pay directly for the room and board, rather it was rolled into the price of the ticket. If EK is going to offer this service, then need to manage their brand much, much better. It's...cute...that the hotel is (overly) branded in EK gold and mahogany and gauche EVERYTHING, but both Le Meridien and EK should do a better job of ensuring F and J pax feel like they've received what they paid for during the entirety of the experience, not just at the airport and on the plane.

I will flying tomorrow from Toronto, will forgo the free hotel and stay at the Ritz carlton Jumeirah beach for our 22 hour layover (booked through Amex FH&R). After reading this review I feel like we made the right decision.

We took advantage of this service flying paid business class from Fort Lauderdale to Cape Town via Dubai in February and found it to be quite pleasant. Was it the most luxurious hotel in the world? Of course not. However, it was nice to have a pre-arranged spot to go after a looooong flight, especially with a quick dip in the pool to refresh. We also really enjoyed the breakfast.

It's worth noting that we were actually given two rooms, since I was traveling with my wife and daughter. For families looking to use this perk, be aware that the Emirates section of the hotel does NOT have connecting rooms, so we were forced to split up for the night. Wasn't a huge deal, but when we requested connecting rooms over the phone 6 months in advance and didn't find out they weren't available until check-in, it was a bit frustrating.

Yeah, it looks kind of dated, but at least not cramped. Selecting meals and cuisines in this situation is pretty sweet, though.
I'm afraid I don't get the comment about the couch. To me it looks fine. Nothing too stylish, of course.

This seems totally fine for a Business Class fare. Business Class airfare = business class/4-star hotel is logical.

However, I agree with @Lucky that if flying in First Class, it seems like Emirates could go a bit further. First-Class is meant to be Luxury and so one should get a Luxury standard hotel, especially since they're fairly reasonable in Dubai. My Wife over-nighted at the nearby Park Hyatt during a missed connection when travelling Economy, which our travel insurance covered and that seems like the right sort of standard that should be included in a Dubai connection for 1st class airfare.

Last week I had a 13h30m layover in Dubai, travelling paid First, and although I did not select the Dubai Connect option in 'Manage My Booking', I was provided the vouchers at the check-in counter at LHR. When I said that I did not require them because I had made my own arrangements for the layover, they insisted that I take the vouchers as I did not have to use them.

Having read your review, I think I did the right thing to make my own arrangements, although the offer from Emirates is appreciated and most welcome. One never knows when one has to use it!

I flew F Toronto to Milano via DXB on 18 June 2018.
Emirates sent me to the J.W. Marriott about 15 miles away. No food voucher and unless they had a recent sand storm, the widows were deplorably filthy. It wasn't my dime so no complaint.
There was also confusion over the limo return to DXB almost making me late. Just to let you know.

@Lucky - Are there specific rooms set aside for Emirates passengers or do they just give them any available room?

I have to say, I fail to see anything wrong with that room, provided for free for an 11hr stay. It looked comfortable and well provisioned. I feel you are probably expecting an awful lot of you don’t feel that was an appropriate standard room.

Food and Drink seem very generous.

Just flew LAX-DXB-MXP- used Dubai Connect and was also assigned the Le Meridien. When checking in at the hotel I gave them my SPG platinum number and they not only gave me a renovated room (which was very nice), but I also ended up earning points and night credit for the stay.
Also, for anyone that booked the YVR-LAX-DXB-MXP deal, you likely had a schedule change on the WestJet flights.. Emirates is very generous with schedule changes- they allowed me to drop the Westjet flights completely, so I didn’t have to waste a day flying to Vancouver.

When we flew F from LAX - SGN through DXB, I asked the FA during our first leg to confirm our stay at Le Meridien, which she did before our arrival. Apparently, the vouchers are good for a number of hotels, including several in the city. We chose to stay at the airport for our early departure the next morning.

I would not be disappointed by the hotel. But then, my personal standards are not geared towards high-end travel. Different people will have different expectations. I think the review is fine.

I enjoyed your use of the word "shady". Made me chuckle. Great blog!

@Lucky

Did you inform them you are a Platinum guest? They seem to honour status even on these complimentary stays and as you already know, that transforms the entire experience here.

Not sure why you should feel hesitant assessing them, it's your profession, if other carriers also offer stopover hotels than it absolutely makes sense to compare across these options.

@ Vineet -- I asked if I could add my SPG number to the reservation and they said no. I didn't explicitly mention I'm a Platinum member, so maybe I screwed myself over by doing that.

Thanks for yet another good review! Even though I can understand some might think you’re a bit spoiled (no offence!), I totally understand that an Emirates F passenger should get a better hotel experience than this.

As a contrast, I recently transferred in Istanbul (Ataturk) with TK C and used their complimentary stopover program for two nights. They gave us a VERY nice room at the Marriott Renaissance Istanbul (where they happily applied my Marriott Gold card to the reservation) and private transfers to and from the airport, as well as free meals. Everything went super smoothly and I truly felt that I got a luxury experience for free. Very impressed.

Lucky, my wife and I are flying Emirates first into Dubai in January. We are spending two nights and then flying Oman Air to Doha. I am assuming that we don’t qualify for this program?

I have been at the Le Meridien twice through Emirates, in May 2017 I had a room like the one shown in the review and in May 2018 I had one of the newer renovated rooms 2012 which was smaller but beautiful. I think that this is a great feature offered by Emirates and is much better than paying for a room at a hotel of your own choice especially if you land at something like 3am and fly out at 11pm and sure beats 6-23 hours at the airport even with its lounges.

I flew EK F and paid $9200 for the RT ticket and they put me up in this hotel too. I was disappointed, to say the least. It’s Dubai after all, why not send F passengers to a fancier hotel?

@Lucky. Good and accurate review. I too agree that an F passenger would usually expect more, maybe even a business class passenger. The renovated rooms are nice, but not that fabulous and I do not think suites are available in the newer wing. (I have stayed there when not flying Emirates too.) The dinner and breakfast buffets are both very good. For breakfast one can eat outside, which is nice in the cooler months. In general, one comment I have about Emirates F is that while it is great in the sky and at the DXB lounge, the rest of the ground experience is not fabulous. It has been a long time since I flew SQ F and it was a much more special experience on the ground. You have also detailed the excellent AF experience, which I have never had. I once had a funny experience when flying F on Thai. There was a cart which met us for our connection (which does not happen on Emirates generally) and there was one other person. At first thought it was some VIP. We start talking and it turns out he was a doctor from Philadelphia doing a mileage run.

Very good atmosphere in that restaurant that serves American style Chinese food.

Hmmm Emirates always sent me to the JW Marriott, transportation included.

I think the hotel is fine; perfectly adequate for a transit stay. They should have added your SPG number for incidentals ( mini bar, maybe alcohol with dinner) or dining if you'd chosen a different outlet to those on the free list. Then there's always a chance that the system will err and credit a stay.

We paid to stay here and it was dreadful. The first room we were given was very dated and stank of smoke. We were moved to a second slightly better room but I would never stay again even if it was a ‘free’ room

I believe that those Mercedes six-seaters were the same (or else very close) to what Lufthansa offered early on when they offered shuttle service for people from the main airport to the FCT.

Having stayed there as a business class passenger, I kinda get your point. It was fine for me seeing that it was like a 4-star hotel. But as a first class passenger, I can see why you would be expecting more. In fact I was surprised they put you guys up here. With all that said, maybe this review was a bit too critical. I mean it was free after all, and you can’t argue with that.

Thank you for providing so much detail and also the photos. I read the fine print in the Terms and Conditions, but nothing beats a first-hand account! 🙂

It helped me decide if I want to use the Connect service or not.

Hey Lucky,

I used to work for the airlines, then I was a consultant for 15 years and I've stayed at a lot of hotels. Ranging from super luxe in India to Best Westerns in New Jersey. I think your review was a bit harsh because I thought the hotel room to be perfectly nice. I mean its not Peninsula Hong Kong (vacation) or The Ritz Paris (honeymoon), but I don't think I would have been that tough with my review.

First world problems! 🙂

@Lucky, we flew in paid first from SEZ-DXB-NRT and they gave us one of the updated rooms, which was actually quite nice. The room was arguably in better condition than the Conrad Dubai. I did have them enter my SPG number (gold), so I don't know if that made a difference. I even earned some SPGs somehow from it... Don't remember the room number now, but it was up the stairs immediately next to the lobby, then slight right and all the way to the end of the hall.

I've been flying regularly between Japan and UK with Emirates for some years now and have used Dubai Connect several times. I've usually been given Al Bustan Hotel when flying in Business, both upgrade and paid, especially when it's a short notice hotel reservation. It's an excellent hotel with luxurious rooms and a really good buffet restaurant. No special Emirates check-in and no waits - but that may be something to do with my arrival time. Very much better than Le Meridien, but driving time is a little longer (perhaps 2x). Transit usually estate car outwards and cramped Benz Vito minivan inwards.
Last stay (October 2018) wifi was free as standard - though had to negotiate to get free wifi on some previous visits.

I just stayed at Le Meridian Dubai as part of Dubai Connect and I must say that I was impressed! My room (2077) was absolutely gorgeous and befitting a true 5-star establishment, modern and spacious with an excellent bathroom and amenities and a first class breakfast in the hotel. I was actually sad that my stay was just overnight before my connecting morning flight, as I could have spent a whole day there easy. Travelled WAW-DXB-BNE.

I have just returned from my Dubai connect experience. I was in business class and got the Le Meridien.

The Emirates Lobby is newly renovated. My room, attached to the Emirates Lobby was also newly renovated. It looks exactly like the Superior guestroom pictured on their website... Everything was nice and fresh. The bed was comfy, the bath has a separate tub, shower and WC area. Everything else in the room was just like any other 5 star hotel, including slippers and bathrobe.

The restaurant choices were as Lucky posted. I chose the Beef bistro and had a wonderful NZ steak with French onion soup and ended it with a French cheesake and coffee. Service at the restaurant was impeccable as was the rest of the hotel.

I had a good swim at the spa pool. The gym looked very well equipped.

Emirates transfers both ways in a BMW 5 series... Overall a fantastic experience. I did see the block of rooms which Lucky got and I think they will soon be renovated.

Nope, always go there when in DXB. Lovely hotel. They're refershing it.

I was booked at the JW Marriott Marquis with Dubai Connect-- is that much better?