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.
In this post:
Basics of the new St. Regis Dubai The Palm
The St. Regis Dubai The Palm has opened its doors. The hotel features 264 guest rooms and 26 suites, and features all the amenities you’d expect from a St. Regis, from several restaurants, to the signature St. Regis Bar, to an Iridium Spa, to a fitness center, to a pool.
The hotel is located at the base of Palm Jumeirah, which is Dubai’s famous palm-shaped man-made island. Specifically, the St. Regis occupies the first 18 floors of The Palm Tower, which is a new 52-story development.
The building is directly connected to the Nakheel Mall, and the location also provides easy access to The Palm’s monorail system.
The St. Regis Dubai is a Category 7 Marriott Bonvoy property, meaning that a free night redemption costs 50,000, 60,000, or 70,000 Bonvoy points, depending on whether you’re staying over off-peak, standard, or peak dates. As always, Bonvoy members get a fifth night free with award redemptions.
Below are some pictures of the new St. Regis Dubai.
St. Regis Dubai The Palm exterior
St. Regis Dubai The Palm aerial shot
St. Regis Dubai The Palm lobby
St. Regis Dubai The Palm lobby
St. Regis Dubai The Palm guest room
St. Regis Dubai The Palm bar
Why this hotel is unappealing to me
I really want to like this hotel, because St. Regis is my favorite Marriott brand, as the hotels generally have great service, and St. Regis also honors all Bonvoy elite benefits (unlike EDITION and Ritz-Carlton).
That being said, I simply can’t get excited about this hotel:
- I’m not a huge fan of The Palm to begin with, though usually the redeeming quality of The Palm is that you have a beach at your hotel, and you feel a bit removed from the city
- The St. Regis takes up the bottom floors of a skyscraper, has no balconies, has no beach, has no sense of privacy, has limited views, and is connected to a shopping mall; this would be fine if you were staying in DIFC, but I can’t imagine wanting this kind of an experience if staying on The Palm
In other words, the property has all of the downsides of staying on The Palm (primarily distance from other popular parts of Dubai), while having none of the benefits.
St. Regis keeps failing in Dubai
The St. Regis Dubai The Palm will be the third St. Regis in Dubai in the past few years, though the previous two no longer belong to Marriott:
- The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor opened in 2015, and left Marriott (or Starwood, at the time) in 2018; this is now operating as Habtoor Palace Dubai, a Hilton LXR property (hilariously the W Hotel next door was also rebranded as a…. V Hotel)
- The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club opened in 2017, and left Marriott (or Starwood, at the time) in 2018; this is now operating as Al Habtoor Polo Resort, an independent property
The short-lived St. Regis Dubai Polo Resort
Here’s to hoping that the new St. Regis has better luck than the previous two properties.
Bottom line
The St. Regis brand has returned to Dubai, with the opening of a property on The Palm. While I’m happy to see the brand return to Dubai, I’m less enthusiastic about the property as such. A balcony-less hotel on The Palm taking up the bottom floors of a hotel that’s connected to a shopping mall without a beach doesn’t appeal to me all that much.
What do you make of the new St. Regis Dubai?
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?
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.
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...
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 ....
That Lobby looks like a Celestial Room I have seen in a Mormon Temple. Very dramatic.
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?
The best place to stay in Dubai is JBR. One of the few pedestrian friendly zones there.
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.
There is fake, and then there is Dubai. No reason to ever go there.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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!