NoY

I do stay at Conrad from time to time (& get looked after these days, once I connected to some of the Management) but avoid the hotel's lounge. Breakfast in Ballaro is much much more civilised! I choose the hotel solely for location & the fact that Mrs NoY has issues with some other Honors properties...YMMV

NWplatinum

What’s the difference between the Al-Habtoor City and the Al-Habtoor LXR. I still haven’t figured that out.

I have an upcoming stay in December and I’m trying to figure out which Hilton I want to stay at. I usually will go for The Walk but it’s kind of far from the airport.

im leaning towards al-habtoor city. My layover is 24 hours.

NWplatinum

Booked The Walk and they upgraded me to a sea view king Villa as a diamond. Also very reasonable airport transportation costs due to my diamond status. That property is the most customer friendly in my opinion in Dubai. I won’t stay anywhere else.

Al Habtoor City wanted me to make a booking before they would even tell me what they’d offer me.

Global Adventurer

I'm happy to hear that you feel the property is of good value. I recently booked a 3 week stay at the Hampton Inn airport, for several reasons. First off the price is right. I need several nights stay to obtain a status match to diamond, as I will be in Dubai throughout the winter (3 months), so I'll be staying in different hotels. And the fact they have a shuttle that also goes to the mall and I believe one other place. It's location is within walking distance to a metro stop and a few bus stops, nearby restaurants and a grocery store. And the general area is walkable and away from the touristy crowd. And lastly it's close to Port Rashid where I'll be catching a roundtrip cruise when I leave that particular hotel. I'm just hoping that I'm assigned a decent room since I'll be there for several weeks.

After my stay, I'll be back to give my take, and possibly provide additional information for folks undecided on the different hilton properties in Dubai.

NWplatinum

I’ve stayed at the Hampton Inn. The only problem I have with it is that they don’t have a consistent shuttle and it’s not that easy to get to. You may end up having to take a taxi check the schedule. Other than that the property itself is really brand new and beautiful and nice. The complementary breakfast is also really nice. Last time there was a guy from the states working there checking me in and I had to do a double take because I never saw someone from America working at a hotel in Dubai. It was a nice cultural thing to see that we also get out.

I need to use my aspire credit, so I went to The Walk this time. I wouldn’t normally stay here but with my credit to burn and the hotel being really wonderful it’s a no-brainer. Conrad is overrated. And Al Habtoor City management is just plain old nasty. Everyone at the Walk is a pleasure to deal with, and the GM Michael Mundia treats diamonds right.

Global Adventurer

Thanks. I printed out their shuttle schedule. And worse case scenario I'll just call the front desk and confirm a shuttle is still coming and just wait. I'm never in a hurry to go to bed Oh, and after my fiasco at the airport holiday inn express, I rather spend the night outside at the airport waiting on a shuttle than ever stay at the holiday inn. Ugh

I'll keep "The Walk" in mind when I want to splurge^

NWplatinum

Yeah the HIE there is a disgrace. The problem is many of the shuttles for the Hampton leave just as you arrive Dubai. And the next one doesn’t come for 1.5 hours. I don’t know why they can’t have a shuttle that comes every 20-30 min like every other airport hotel in the entire world. Especially considering they’re billing it as an airport hotel and its location is far.

Frankly I don’t think it’s fair to bill themselves as an airport hotel if the shuttles are so lopsided, and the hotel is not that close to the airport.

Last overnight in DXB I stayed at the Hampton and the next shuttle wasn’t for 1.5 hour, so I just hopped in a cab given the distance to the Hampton and the way the highways are set up it’s not easy to get to. They really should not bill it as an airport hotel because it’s not close, they don’t have a consistent shuttle service, and it’s not easy to get to from the airport.

shillard

Puzzled by so much hate for the Conrad.

Sure, the lounge isn't particularly impressive but the rooms are great, the pool is fantastic and the breakfast in the restaurant does the job nicely.

Also a better location than Al-Habtoor.


Al-Habtoor I quite enjoy, but the pools are heated far too much!

NWplatinum

I’m not an Al Habtoor fan so I can’t comment on that. Yes the rooms are fine and the staff fine at Conrad. It’s just for a Conrad (in Dubai of all places) their lounge should have a wow factor to it. The fact that it’s one of the inferior Hilton lounges in Dubai makes for problem number one. Secondly, the clientele at the Conrad are a lot of annoying. swanky “I’m-really-rich-and-I’m-staying-at-a-Conrad-in-Dubai” attitude is annoying to be around. Third the breakfast is fine, but I can get just as good if not better at the Walk or another higher end property in Dubai. And lastly, since it’s a Conrad your status as diamond (or gold) means nothing since everyone else there has status too. I just see the property with a lot of down sides and not many upsides. Especially when you have so many choices in Dubai.

NoY

The place has a 'history" here. Swinging between very good & dreadful over a period of time. The lounge has such poor quality snacks/food it really is a token gesture. Drinks service is ok though, IME. The hard product is strong (though getting a little tired) & some of the front desk staff..erm...shouldnt even be in the job they are so incompetent. But the location is excellent for shopping/sightseeing/events/airport & rates can be very good too. There are tons of other choices so one shouldn't feel compelled to stay here because its a Conrad!

gottaluvNW

As a Diamond member hoping for an upgrade around new year's time in Dubai - I am considering the following using a points stay for two adults and two little kids in one room
Conrad Dubai
Waldorf Astoria DIFC
Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City
V Hotel Dubai
Habtoor Palace Dubai
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah

All of these seem to have standard rooms with points.
What I would like to get as a minimum is a following:
1. No hassle of having 2 adults and 2 kids in the same room reservation (I recently had an angry check in agent who said their max occupancy was 3.)
2. A good breakfast, a decent swimming pool
3. Things to do away from the glitz of branded restaurant chains and brands/shopping that could be found anywhere in the West.
4. A strong chance of an upgrade during this busy time (can someone tell me which is the most likely location to provide upgrade offers at the time of booking? From the sounds of this thread, there are a few...)
5. An executive lounge would be nice, not a dealbreaker.
6. Free parking!

Which of these various properties do you recommend to stay for a first time Dubai visitor?
Your advice is most welcomed...

NWplatinum

Around New Years or on New Years? Big difference. You’re missing The Hilton Dubai The Walk (which is connected to the Jumeirah). It has all the things you’ve asked for, and if you contact the GM of the property (PM me) you can get an upgrade to a two story apartment with plenty of space for your family as a diamond where diamonds are actually treated very well and coveted.

I think the Hilton Dubai the Walk is not only the best luxury Hilton Dubai, I also think it’s the best run Hilton I’ve ever stayed at within the Hilton family. I know I have a history of really talking The Walk up on here, but if someone else stays there they’ll see what I’m talking about. No detail is left untouched. The staff is amazing, and they really cover and treat diamond guests very well. Not to mention they have some awesome suites/apartments.

cjd

Agree. Only stayed at Hilton Dubai The Walk once, but they treated this Diamond very very well. Booked a 4 bedroom apartment for the family and upgraded to the Royal Suite on the 43rd and 44th floors. Absolutely amazing! Can't imagine we'll ever get an upgrade like that again. Also a fantastic location situated between the Marina and the Walk/the Beach, where there is so much activity at night.

gottaluvNW

I had someone report in that the level of amenities of The Walk was poor. Their three bedroom apartment was run down, the "room" was not serviced during their stay because of the concept of an apartment rental in the hotel.
Are we sure we are discussing the same property?

cjd

Like any hotel, there will be good and bad reports. We got an amazing upgrade and loved the location of the hotel on The Walk. Given complimentary full breakfast, access to the Exec Lounge for the whole family (but they didn't all use it as we ate out every night) and could use the pool, restaurants and beach of the Hilton Jumeirah Beach hotel which is joined to Hilton the Walk by a walkway over the road. Only downfall we noticed was the lack of enough elevators and a few long waits at times.Here's the thread for the Hilton the Walk:
Hilton Dubai The Walk {ARE}