The St. Regis brand is debuting in Dubai… for the third time. This will likely be Marriott’s most luxurious property in Dubai that doesn’t deny Bonvoy Platinum members and above breakfast.
Continue reading: St. Regis Dubai The Palm Opens: I’m Lukewarm
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Hopefully the unappealing location and what you described causes reasonable prices, I dont mind paying 4 star prices to stay at a St Regis even if it faces a parking lot!
Hey
I am actually staying there this week, and let me tell you that I share your opinion.
To add to the list of meh points, hotels restaurants are a large part of the appeal here, and there is only one restaurant, without character.
Rooms with no balcony and windows that do NOT open is also very sad... especially when other hotels in the area have balconies and windows.
I will not be back.
The prices have remained very high for this property. It's next to the new mall on the Palm, but other than that, there is no reason to visit this property. They should've branded this as the Marriott and the Marriott The Palm as a St Regis since that is on the boardwalk and with a beach you can walk to.
I hear you - I do not like staying on the Palm. Even though as you rightly point out most hotels there have beaches (this one though does not), they tend to not be great beaches. You can just feel how man made they are, and the water feels rather stagnant and dirty since it's trapped inside the palm. I stayed at the Zabeel Saray a few years ago. Great hotel with beautiful pool but the beach kind of sucked. For beach hotels in dubai, stay in JBR at the Sofitel. Beaches along that stretch are great, as well as the area near the Burj al Arab (Jumeirah al qasar, etc). Or, for the best beaches (IMO), go to Abu Dhabi (once it reopens) and stay at any of the hotels on Saadiyat Island. Those beaches beat anything you'll find in Dubai, IMO.
Isn't there a beach club nearby that the hotel has access to? Or did that get scrapped? Would be more interested in this than the W The Palm, which seemed too Vegas-y.
The best place to stay in Dubai is JBR. One of the few pedestrian friendly zones there.
Since I tend to visit Dubai in July and August when it's ungodly hot and humid but generally cheaper to do so, the lack of a balcony or opening windows isn't a show stopper for me. But I agree with Ben in that the location of this hotel is not ideal. Maybe their market is friends and relatives of those living on the Palm?
That Lobby looks like a Celestial Room I have seen in a Mormon Temple. Very dramatic.
Also worth noting, as I was in this mall in January, that it is not hugely exciting. Dubai Mall it isn't. It's nowhere near as bad as the '50% vacant' mall by Sofitel The Obelisk but we're not talking 'ice risk / ski slope / luxury brands' here.
A beach club is meant to be coming but I assume it will be shared with whatever building actually sits in front of it. You also can't do the 'forgot my sunglasses I'll just pop back to my room' thing when it involves a shuttle bus ....
the best place to stay in Dubai for beach is JBR. best beach area in Dubai, pedestrian friendly, close to attractions but far away from downtown where u feel like ur in ur own holiday bubble, and closest point to reach abu dhabi from dubai.
and agreee with mentioned above, abu dhabi has nicer beaches and better desert landscape for the desert experience.
Ben, thanks for these thoughts. I’ll be doing my first trip to Dubai this December and now I know I won’t be staying here based on the comments. But I am a Marriott titanium member so where do you recommend for a Dubai hotel on points?