Staying in Dubai:
Other Dubai Hotels
The Jumeirah Emirates Towers ’tower’ above the central business and commercial district with their clean, crisp edges slicing through the air, standing out amongst the Dubai skyline and are yet another highly visible contributor to “Dubai architecture”. The hotel’s uniqueness is underlined by its location, set among the calm of landscaped gardens, ornamental lakes and waterfalls, it’s an ideal environment for the corporate traveller wishing to ‘get away from it all’ while in the proximity of everything the city has to offer. In keeping with current architectural practices in Dubai, it features eye-catching architecture, stylish accommodation and thoughtful innovation - in a nutshell, the hotel transcends beyond just the business world.
The well appointed bedrooms, contemporary restaurants, bars and luxury retail boutiques and more are guaranteed to make even the most critical traveller feel great. The hotel encompasses a retail Boulevard with more than 50 top fashionable boutiques offering a seemingly endless range of quality goods. There are two state-of-the-art health clubs, a modern male spa with a Floatation Pool, a ladies health club and innovative restaurant concepts with food from the four corners of the world. The complex is situated next to the Dubai International Financial Centre overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road and the Arabian Gulf so access is very easy.
What can be said about hotels in Dubai that hasn’t already been said? The emirate is renowned for the quality of the accommodation offered by its hotels. While no visit to Dubai is complete without a visit to at least see the seven star Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach complex hotels, there are hotels to suit all budgets and to meet all expectations. If your budget doesn’t stretch to the minimum £1000 required for a one-night sojourn at the Burj Al Arab, prices in the 440+ other hotels in the city start at a little over £60 a night.
Market entry level at this price is the recently opened Premier Inn in the Dubai Investment Park, approximately 40km from the airport and just 25 minutes by taxi (only £5) from Jumeirah Beach. However don’t be fooled by the quality of this 308-roomed budget hotel – you get an elegant lobby, well-appointed and comfortable bedrooms and even a rooftop swimming pool.
However, with over 440 hotels to choose from, you can’t help but find the perfect hotel to suit your particular budget. Towards the top end of the scale, there are plenty of hotels to choose from.
The Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Hotel, on the golden Jumeirah Beach, is only 3 kilometres from the Emirates Golf Course and just 35 kilometres from the city centre. It has 389 air-conditioned, fully-featured rooms each with bright, modern decor and balconies with beach views. There’s an outdoor pool, superb health club and exotic gardens. There’s even a fully-supervised kids club and business centre with fully kitted-out meeting rooms. There’s South American and Italian cuisines and a relaxed pool-side bar with barbeque. The desert is only 25 kilometres away and the Dubai Museum and the Gold and Spice Souks are 30 kilometres away. Dubai International Airport is only 25 minutes.
The Fairmount Hotel Dubai, a 34 storey contemporary hotel modelled on an Arabic windtunnel with 394 guest rooms (including 128 suites and penthouses) offers luxury accommodation within the heart of the financial district, minutes away from attractions such as beaches, golf clubs and shopping centres; it is directly linked to the Dubai International Convention Centre. The Fairmount Dubai also boasts 10 dining and entertainment venues to suit a range of tastes and for relaxing and rejuvenation, the ‘Willow Stream Spa’, dedicated to providing the hotel guest with some of the best health club and swimming pool facilities available.
Another of Dubai’s luxury city conference hotels, the Grand Hyatt Dubai, is set on the Gulf shores in the Arabian Peninsula at the edge of Dubai’s historic creek. It lies in 37 acres of lush, landscaped gardens and combines superb resort facilities, residential apartments and one of the most advanced conference centres in the Middle East. The 632 guestrooms and 42 suites provide beautiful views of the creek or city. All rooms have oversized beds and bathrooms and are finished with elegant fixtures and hand-carved marble. The hotel also features 186 fully serviced apartments, ideal for long-stay business travellers with housekeeping services, including butlers on every floor.
Other Dubai hotels include:
- The 4-Star Metropolitan Palace, a modern boutique-style hotel on Al Maktoum Street only 100 metres from Dubai’s business and shopping centre.
- The 4-Star Pearl Residence in Bur in the business district of the city, famed for its mirrored glass facade, palatial-style columns and pillars.
- The 4-Star Dubai Sheraton Deira Hotel and Towers located in the city centre within 2km of the Gold Souk.
- The 4 Star Ascot Hotel located in the centre of the city, a short walk from the main shopping area and only ten minutes from Dubai International Airport.
- The 5-Star City Seasons Boutique ’aparthotel’ in the heart of Dubai opposite the Deira shopping mall and just up the road from the Gold and Spice Souk and the international airport.
- The 2-Star Nova Hotel in the Al Fahidi Street, next to the Meena Bazaar and a very short walk from Dubai Creek.
- The 4-Star Palm Tree Court and Spa in 128 acres of landscaped gardens within the Jabel Ali Free Zone by the shores of the Gulf, 50km from the centre of Dubai.
- The 4-Star Radisson SAS Dubai Media City Hotel, within 3km of the Emirates Gold Course and 35 km from the city centre.
- The 4-Star Riviera Hotel overlooking Dubai Creek, 1 km from the Clock Tower Roundabout and Baniyas Square.
- The 5-Star Dusit Dubai, offering Thai hospitality close to the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai International Convention Centre.
Burj Dubai - Special mention must be made of the fact that Burj Dubai does not merely set out to be the world’s tallest building, an accolade it will officially claim when it is completed in 2009; according to the official blurb it’s all about reaching the highest aspirations, rather than the highest point in the sky. Trite you may say but the official message from the tower’s owners is that it should "be tangible proof of Dubai’s accomplishments and central role in a growing world".
And to prove this, the tower’s owners freely offer either the sheer spectacle and uniqueness of high-rise living or the choice of living in Arabesque quarters that embrace the culture of the region. Because of the sun and summer temperatures in Dubai, the exterior of the tower will be clad with no less than 142,000 sq metres (over 1.5 million square feet) of reflective glazing, together with aluminium and textured stainless steel. The tower is composed of three ’elements’ around a central core, in a Y-shape to maximise surrounding views, with the basic design originating from the petterning systems embodied in the finest of historic architecture. The interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armarni and an Armani hotel, the first of its kind, will occupy the first 37 floors. Floors 45 through to floor 108 will feature 700 private apartments, with a swimming pool on the 78th floor. There will be corporate offices and suites filling the remaining floors apart from the 123rd and 124th floors which will be devoted to a lobby and observation deck.
Naturally enough, efficient elevators will be needed to service this tall building and there will be 56 of them incorporated, able to travel at a speed of a little over 1 metre per second faster than the current fastest in the Taipei 101. Burj Dubai will be the centrepiece of a large, mixed-use development that will include over thousands of homes, various hotels, serviced apartments, parkland, a shopping mall and the man-made Dubai Lake.
