I stayed and had a good experience. The rooms are modern and relatively upscale, with balconies, a step below the nearby DoubleTree as you'd expect. They have two very good, and very ambitious, restaurants/bars on the top floor that are well above what you'd expect for a Hampton brand. (They told me that most guests are package tourists whose plans don't give them access. They were empty when I was there and might have trouble surviving.) Breakfast is also above average for Hampton in the region, which itself is generally better than that at U.S. properties. Front desk service was professional. Overall this a respectable destination. I will be back as a mini-vacation from Dubai. I don't recall much in the way of Diamond benefits, as there wouldn't be much to give. I don't believe I got a room upgrade.

I suppose it's a Hampton because all of the other major Hilton brands are represented copiously in RAK, though the Hilton Al Hamra closed so maybe they could have gone for that flag. I suppose their core business, like a lot of the midscale places in RAK, is all-inclusive packages from Eastern Europe, which it seems can be a good deal, especially if you're coming from frigid Poland or Russia in winter.

Plus there's a Conrad in some stage of planning on Marjan Island which, like the game-changing Wynn resort, may or may not ever happen.