Emirates Towers Hotel
Arrival at Dubai Airport
On arrival at Dubai Airport, we proceeded to the Jumeriah Hotel reception lounge area, where we were greeted by name, and asked to wait for the limousine, as it was delayed due to the fog. The lounge area is comfortable.
Our S320 Mercedes arrived, and we were shown to it (had two staff walking with us, but they did not offer to push the trolley).
The car was comfortable with bottled water, newspapers and magazines to read. The journey took around 30 minutes.
Arrival at Emirates Towers
There was no one to open the car doors (noticeable over the next 5 days that maybe 1 in 6 cars arriving were met by doormen). We went to the reception area, and checked in.
I had booked a promotional rate called ‘Gold for Life’ that basically gave you free limo transfers, access to the club lounge and all the amenities associated there (more later), a room up grade if available, 10% discount on all food in the hotel, and late check out. The receptionist was not aware of the promotional rate, and when I asked her if there was an upgrade available, she said we would have to pay an additional US$270 per night. I showed her the print out with all the details of the promotion, and after some time, she up-graded us to a Towers Room from the Deluxe Room. A Towers room is a Deluxe Room on a higher floor. So we were now on the 37th floor instead of the 31st floor.
For a hotel of this caliber, I would have expected an escort to the room. Having stayed at the Shangri La, Dusit Thai, Fairmont, Ritz Carlton, and Grosvenor House in Dubai before (as well as Emirates Towers before), my report compares this stay to previous stays at 5 star hotels in Dubai.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...otel/hotel.jpg
Room
We made our way to the room, as we had been ‘up-graded’, the room was set out for one person (i.e. in the bathroom one bath towel, one hand towel, one face cloth, etc.) I found this quite odd. The rooms as spacious with good views.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...Hotel/fog1.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...Hotel/fog3.jpg
The furniture is looking worn, as it the carpet. The TV is not even a flat screen, let alone Plasma and was small. There is a good size work desk with a very comfortable chair, and also a long lounge by the window that served as a day bed / dumping area. Storage space is adequate.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...Hotel/desk.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...tel/window.jpg
There are tea and coffee making facilities in the room, as well as a well stocked mini bar. There was quite a bit of reading material in the room. The bed is king size with a duvet and quality pillows.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...0Hotel/bed.jpg
For the first three mornings I had to call House keeping to get additional towels. On the 4th morning I spoke to guest relations and told them that there should be towels for two guests in the room. They were blasé about it, but I did notice that from that day onwards, the room looked cleaner, the bathroom was well stocked, etc. It was a shame that the house keeping staff had to be told to maintain a 5 star standard.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...otel/bath1.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...otel/bath2.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...l/wardrobe.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...tel/window.jpg
Everyday there was a presentation of one type of fruit and one spice with a detailed note about the spice. This was a nice touch.
Room Service
One morning we ordered room service. The order was clearly taken, and the food was delivered in the stipulated time. The trolley was well laid out, with all condiments, etc. Several times we asked for ice, and this was brought promptly.
Club Floor
To access the club floor from Floors 10 – 39, you have to take a lift to the ground floor, and then take a lift to the 42nd floor. This was an inconvenience, but with free access, I am not complaining. I overheard some guests who were staying in Apex Suites (a suite on each floor) that they had to do this.
The Lounge has a smoking area (after 12:00 noon), and non smoking area’s, as well as board rooms. A full breakfast (better then the breakfast in the main restaurant on the ground floor) is served from 6:30 am -11:30 am. Eggs are cooked to order, and there is a good selection of juices, fruit, cereals, breads, pastries, cheese, and hot foods. Nothing to complain about here. Service was good, courteous and efficient.
At around 12:30 a light lunch of sandwiches, cheese, fruit, salads, pastries and desert is served. There are complimentary drinks (including alcohol) from 12:30 pm onwards.
At around 4:00 pm afternoon tea is served with scones, pastries, cakes, etc.
Then at 6:30 pm it is hot and cold canapé’s including caviar, quail eggs, smoked salmon, crab, prawns, etc. An excellent selection.
After 8:30 pm there is a sample of deserts.
It is quite possible to eat all of your meals in the lounge with free beverages. It was a great lounge with good service. As we were not staying on the Club Floor, we were asked for our room number on a few occasions, but once the staff knew us, it was fine.
Restaurants
We dined / used the following restaurants
Mosaico – Breakfast. On the first morning we thought to try the buffet at Mosaico. The spread was quite disappointing. We had to call waiters six times to get coffee, have plates cleared, and for additional cutlery.
Tokyo at the Towers – this is meant to be a high end Japanese restaurant. We seated ourselves as there was no one around or near the entrance. Orders were taken promptly, and food was served efficiently. The whole evening, we poured our own wine and water. Quality of the Sashimi and Sushi was above average, but the price charged did not justify the quality (quantity was adequate).
The Agency – This is a wine bar. Great set up with a good selection of wine and other drinks. They have 70 wines available by the glass. Service was great.
Vu’s Bar – A pricey bar on the 52nd floor of the hotel. We asked for a wine list and were told that wines were listed in the cocktail menu (they have around 6 reds and 6 whites). Service was lacking, and I had to go to the bar twice to get served. We asked for a full wine list, which was brought. We also ordered Vanilla Vodka Martini’s (at DHS 75 each (US$20), they had used plain vodka. When we questioned the waitress, she said that it was Vanilla Vodka. We had to talk to a manager, who then had them re-made with Vanilla Vodka. Service was average.
The Noodle Bar – this was fantastic. Great tasty food with service to match. Every time we went it was busy. A business lunch could be completed in 30 minutes without hurrying the staff.
Conferencing – I was in a 3 day conference. The conference rooms were well equipped, and service was excellent. Food and beverage quality was great, and empty platters were replenished quickly.
Check – out
Was efficient and fast. Emirates had sent a car to collect us.
Overall
Service – For a 5 star hotel in Dubai, this was the biggest weakness I saw. 5/10
Room – Needs refurbishing. Housekeeping lacks finesse. 5/10
Club Lounge – Excellent. 8/10
Restaurants – Were a hit and miss. Service is what brought them down. 6/10
Would I stay at The Emirates Towers again? No. I did not find it to be value for money, and the lack of service was disappointing.