Hilton is gaining an iconic property in the United Arab Emirates…
In this post:
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers becomes Conrad Abu Dhabi
Jumeirah is a Dubai-based hospitality company, and it’s the brand behind the iconic Burj Al Arab, the world’s self-proclaimed seven star hotel. After the Burj Al Arab, I’d argue that one of the portfolio’s other most iconic properties is Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.
Etihad Towers is the most recognizable part of the Abu Dhabi skyline — there are a total of five towers with residences, hotels, and offices, and part of one of the towers is the Jumeirah hotel.
Etihad Towers
Well, this property will soon be changing management contracts. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers will become the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers as of October 1, 2020. Hilton has been doing a phenomenal job growing in the luxury sector in recent years, and this is yet another great add.
Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
The Conrad Abu Dhabi will feature 576 guest rooms, and it will initially be the only Hilton family property in Abu Dhabi. However, there is a Hilton coming to Yas Island, which should open in the coming months.
Hilton Yas Island
Why I’m excited about the Conrad Abu Dhabi
I’m always excited when a hotel that’s either independent or part of a smaller hotel group joins one of the mega-hotel groups with a great loyalty program. Do I expect the hotel itself will improve? No.
But there will be a lot more value to be had:
- Hilton Honors members will be able to earn and redeem Hilton Honors points for stays here, and also redeem free night certificates
- Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members can take advantage of elite benefits, ranging from room upgrades, to free breakfast, to executive lounge access (the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers does have a club lounge)
- I love Hilton Honors because of how easy it is to earn top tier status with the Hilton Aspire Card
Executive lounge at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
In the past Jumeirah at Etihad Towers was pricey, but with the current pandemic, prices are down quite a bit. Looking at rates early next year, paid rates are $200+, while points rates seem to start at 46,000 Honors points for a base room.
For now it looks like paying cash will be a better value than redeeming points, based on my valuation of 0.5 cents per Hilton Honors point.
Could more Jumeirah properties rebrand?
There are currently 24 Jumeirah branded properties in the world, some of which are owned by Jumeirah, and some of which are just managed by Jumeirah.
I’d be very curious what went into the decision to rebrand this property. You’d think that Jumeirah would have good brand recognition in the UAE, given how many properties it has. Presumably the rebranding happened because the owners decided they could make more money with another brand.
I can’t help but wonder if we might see more Jumeirah properties rebrand. Head for Points notes that prior to this announcement there had been rumors about several Jumeirah properties rebranding, and the Jumeirah Frankfurt was thrown around as a possible property that could see a management change.
I just stayed at the property and found it disappointing, and frankly find the branding to be puzzling. You’d think the hotel would have more name recognition with another brand, since Jumeirah isn’t a widely known hotel group in Germany.
Jumeirah Frankfurt
I’ll sure be watching to see what other properties are converted…
Bottom line
While I don’t have plans to travel to Abu Dhabi anytime soon, I’m excited that Hilton will be managing one of Abu Dhabi’s best properties. This will be a great opportunity to earn and redeem Hilton points, and I’ll be sure to check it out the next time I’m in Abu Dhabi.
I’m still a bit surprised to see Jumeirah lose a property in the UAE, since you’d think the brand would have good name recognition there. I wonder if we’ll see other Jumeirah properties rebrand as well.
Anyone else excited about the Conrad Etihad Towers, or have a theory as to what caused this change?
And @fcflyer the owners have not changed.
When you get the chance you should come. Premier property in Abu Dhabi and amazing views. And @azamaraal it does have a beach. Not like the ones at saadiyat but certainly just as nice as the corniche.
@Mark P - I loved the Conrad in Dubai. Stayed many times and loved it. granted, it's been a few years, but I always had great stays there. would recommend
Fun fact : this complex of towers was featured in the gravity (and logic) defying antics in Fast and the Furious (5..was it?)
Also, yay, we finally have a Hilton back in Abu Dhabi, after the closure of Hilton Capital Grand last year!
@fcflyer
Why is the Conrad Dubai horrendous? Was planning on staying there on my next trip to Dubai.
* "If one stayed in DXB for 14 days after proving negative" *
I'm very attracted to this new hotel in the Hilton stable. When we lived in Abu Dhabi we often did a weekend at the old Hilton just to relax and be pampered. This would be even better as the location is also very interesting. Unfortunately it may not have a beach which would be a negative.
The Covid situation seems convoluted. As I understand it Dubai allows entry with testing on arrival and a quarantine...
I'm very attracted to this new hotel in the Hilton stable. When we lived in Abu Dhabi we often did a weekend at the old Hilton just to relax and be pampered. This would be even better as the location is also very interesting. Unfortunately it may not have a beach which would be a negative.
The Covid situation seems convoluted. As I understand it Dubai allows entry with testing on arrival and a quarantine until the test result. On the other hand, Abu Dhabi seems to want to quarantine for 14 day - period. If one entered the UAE via Dubai and proved negative could they then travel to Abu Dhabi? I one stayed in Dubai for 14 days could they then visit Abu Dhabi?
A very good flight option would be to fly YUL-AUH. But then what happens? Could one transfer to Dubai as part of the trip? Or if required to quarantine could that be in the Conrad Abu Dhabi? If so, would that mean 14 days in a room or just on the hotel grounds?
If anyone has any insights it would be appreciated.
Do we know doe sure this is re-brand and not an ownership change? Conrad Dubai is horrendous.
I've stayed here and it was quite nice. If I was in AUH again I'd lean towards staying here again. The views are amazing and overall a nice hotel.
There is a Grand Hyatt directly next door to this hotel where I stayed last year. I had colleagues stay at the Jumeriah and were generally quite happy with it. The rooms were very dark though from what they said.
Always love staying at the Conrad properties. This will definitely be on my list when I fly ME via AD.
I suspect more is to come in Abu Dhabi as the Jumeirah Saadiyat Island is no longer participating in the Jumeirah One (formerlly Jumeirah Sirius) rewards program. This follows the Jumeirah Al Wathba desert resort becoming a Luxury Collection property last month.
Lol, I posted this in your Jumeriah Frankfurt review!
This hotel seems meh to me. That being said, my wife and I stayed at Etihad towers in Abu Dhabi last year which is also a Jumeriah hotel and it was excellent. It was elegant and had amazing food options, highly recommended
Love this because I have many Hilton points/free nights to burn.
Great news! Love the Conrad brand.
I stayed at that Hilton Capital Grand about 8 years ago and it was sort of a dump. Really a badly aged relic. Love Conrads and looks great. I'd probably stay at Hilton on Yas Island, though. Abu Dhabi itself is fairly boring but Yas and Saadiyat Islands have much more going for them.
That's bad because this is a win of an American mega-corporation over small, individual boutique-hotels.
Unfortunately this is happening over a wide range of industries (think McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, Apple, Tesla, Facebook).
All of this is destroying individuality and replacing it with a world-wide low-level standardized product without a soul.
Jumeirah is very much 'family' control conglomerate. Hard to justify if the brand will performing well similar like in their hometown.
Another jumeirah brand in Abu Dhabi already rebranded into luxury collection by marriott early this year.
I was puzzled as to what happened to the Hilton Capital Gate where I stayed last year. Turns out it was reflagged as Millennium. Next time the Conrad will definitely be worth the premium in cash/points - or even a potential good use of a free night cert. if rates are very high.
Does anybody have thoughts on the Conrad Punta Mita? Points redemptions for the winter look compelling.
Now that is some great news thank you ! Redemption looks favorable as well.
This is major! I for one look forward to stay there.