englisha

So, just checked into the waldorf palm jumeirah and was delighted so see we got upgraded to a pearl club room on the 5th floor. However, just got declined access to the lounge and was told that as I was upgraded to a club room, I don't have access to the club lounge. I tried discussing the logic with the staff but they (3 members) were adement that this is the policy...we have a beautiful room, but after the initial delight of the upgrade, it's certainly a shame 😞

GratefulSmile

There is no logic to discuss.
You either pay for a club room or you can pay access to the Pearl club.

You must know that Waldorfs and RC don't follow HH rules regarding exec clubs.

englisha

I understood the rule was stay in a club room, get club access, regardless of status...reports in this thread suggested this was the policy. I understand diamond members don't get lounge access at waldorfs, but this wasn't the point.

pazza2000

By RC do you mean Ritz Carlton’s?

hhdl

Do Ritz Carltons follow HH lounge access rules?

pazza2000

Exactly!

Wozza2404

Typically a club room would convey access but this stance of 'room only' upgrades isn't unusual in the UAE. The Le Meridien at the airport in Dubai used to do this when it was a Starwood property for SPG Gold - you've been upgraded to a club room but this doesn't include lounge access.

Seems like the WA are trialing a similar policy. Whilst it's not ideal, there's no recourse for you as they're not obliged to provide you the lounge access. Though you can, of course, vote with your feet next time.

brokenwindow

Booked an Impresario rate here and as a diamond I was upgraded to a pearl suite but was told it is not typically done, they typically only do 1-cat upgrades. Hotel itself is fine but perhaps a little underwhelming compared to other top tier Dubai properties in similar and even lower price ranges. Quite annoying that the property does not have chat service via the Hilton app enabled, which makes getting things done quite tedious. Feels like 2015.

The internet in our room is essentially unusable, even opening gmail takes a few seconds.. and this is while we are supposed to be on the premium tier



On the positive side, the staff at the pool area are super attentive. Waters are constantly replenished for free and occasionally they hand out ice lollies. Service at breakfast is among the best we’ve experienced in Dubai - no request was too big and they were able to arrange things not on the menu for us with a big smile (like mangoes, falafel etc). Top notch staff in all f&b outlets really

Seikkyou

Hi, I'm booked for a couple nights here next week. Been doing some last minute research, could you elaborate on what you would consider better properties in the price range?

redpalmetto

Anyone been staying here in the past few months? Are all facilities open as normal? I hope to be there for 5 nights in early January 2022

Frans NL

Was here 2 days ago. Everything is up and running!

Seikkyou

Was there in early September. Everything is completely open! The only difference I noticed is obviously the masks, and that the buffets in the Pearl Club and regular breakfast require you to ask for someone to serve you. This was the standard across the 4 hotels I stayed in when I was in Dubai (WA Palm, Shangri-La, Address Downtown, MO Jumeira.) Fantastic experience all around though.

Frans NL

Buffets are also back to normal, both in WA Palm Jumeirah and Hilton the Walk.

lost_in_translation

I just checked out of a four night stay here and agree almost entirely with @brokenwindow above. I’d say this is a decent five-ish star hotel but somewhere in the middle of the five star hotels I’ve stayed at in Dubai and far from luxury. Also somewhat limited loyalty recognition.

As I was aware suites are hard to come by here I selected a paid online upgrade to a Deluxe Sea View Suite and was glad to see it cleared, giving a reasonably large discount to just booking a suite directly over peak periods. Nice big suite but somewhat lacking in furniture and the decor isn’t really to my taste, to be honest. The bathrooms are great and luxurious but the rooms are very sterile feeling - could fairly easily be a Westin or something.

As a Diamond booking an Impressario rate there wasn’t much recognition - no welcome gift in the room, no letter, drinks vouchers, etc. There is a 25% discount on dining which is nice.

Housekeeping generally very good, as were the staff at breakfast and on the beach. Very good QR code ordering system on the beach and orders also came quickly. The beach itself has nicely spaced loungers but has that slightly odd/fake Palm feel.

Breakfast quality and selection was OK but no better, frankly. For example, the smoked salmon was poor quality and relatively cheap offcuts, no bowl of capers to go with it, poached eggs are pre-done and kept in a warmer rather than cooked to request, coffee is poor quality from a fully automatic Lavazza machine, etc. The selection of non-Western items is almost non-existent, which I suppose makes sense since I’d say the guests were about 50% Russian and mostly Brits or a few French otherwise. It all feels slightly resort hotel in the Med.

It is indeed extremely annoying that the chat feature is disabled and it took three attempts over 30 minutes just to get through calling my ‘personal assistant’ and then almost another hour just for them to actually deliver a bucket of ice. The Four Seasons this ain’t.

Overall, not sure what makes this a Waldorf Astoria and not e.g. a Conrad, other than they want to be able to charge Russian guests for the brand name. At the right price I wouldn’t rule out going back, but already have multiple Dubai hotels I prefer.

mgn2000

I am a Gold only, Would I get Free Breakfast, if I stayed here , Has any member with Gold status stayed at this hotel recently ?? The Hilton Honors benefits states , I do get a Breakfast.