pricesquire

I'd agree that the food is inedible (as I mentioned in the above review) - and I think I'd agree it's far from a luxury hotel (again, as I mentioned in the above review).

That said, I didn't find my room to be tired. That could be an exception to the rule. The place was last renovated in 2007!

Didn't see the gondolas you speak of.

So yea, I agree with you: not luxury. BUT: did it do the trick on a 12 hour layover? Absolutely! (I must add: I thought the staff was pretty damn good for the limited amount of interactions I had with them.) Kind of reminded me of a Hilton, to be honest.

jepiv

I have similar situation next month with a 20 hour layover in AUH. For now we're booked at the Rosewood, but may switch to the new Four Seasons if they join FHR or Virtuoso in time. Just curious how early we would need to leave from that location to the airport and enjoy time in the lounge before a 9am flight?

MacMyDay

I stayed in the Rosewood a few weeks ago and was impressed, especially for the money. Very good rooms, good use of technology, great facilities, fantastic spa, good enough food for AUH. On the way home I stayed in the Park Hyatt and the Rosewood is easily superior. I've never been to the FS so cannot comment.

You are only 30 minutes from AUH, so you only need to be looking to leave around 6:30. Are you flying Etihad? If it's in F, just know that their lounge is not open yet and it's aimed at "end of the month", although they have been saying this for over a year now. If it's in J, there's not much to get excited about. I'd much rather have a comfortable breakfast in the Rosewood than make a dash to the airport for a mediocre lounge, but each to their own.

offerendum

At FS Virtuoso is not such important as most agents are Four Seasond preferred partners.

stargold

It's far too soon since the FS opened its doors and I can just picture the lingering smell of paint in the guest rooms - I would stick to the Rosewood and give FS a few months to settle down.

I would minimise the time spent in the lounge in its current form (unless the new lounge opens in time), but the chauffeur desk will likely not let you book any later than 6:45 for a 9am departure.

Zephyrous

I would choose the Park Hyatt or the St Regis over the Rosewood or the FS.

I really like the Rosewood; the people that work there are great, the rooms are really nice and most of its restaurants are also good. The problem is the location, which is pretty much corporate central (with an underground mall which does indeed have some nice stores). As a hotel it also feels geared more towards the business market.

If I were laying over for 12-20 hours I would much rather have a nice beachfront where I can take my shoes off and relax as opposed to staying in the Canary Wharf of Abu Dhabi.

Just as an FYI, I am not sure how the PH/StR deal with Ramadan, however Rosewood does indeed have a different character during that period (as does the entire country).

JohnRain

I second that. The Rosewood Abu Dhabi may be better in terms of hard product, but Saadiyat Island has one of the best beaches in the whole UAE and both the PH and the StR are nice hotels. Spending one night there feels like a mini-vacation. You can even play a round of golf if that's your thing.

jepiv

Could you elaborate on this? How does Rosewood change compared to the other hotels? A little research shows that drinking water in public is forbidden and most restaurants and shops are closed during the day. This may relegate us to staying on the property the whole time. Just want to be respectful of local customs.

scented

I can only speak for PH, but they allowed water to be consumed around the pool during Ramadan. You can also eat inside or order IRD.
It is a very restrictive period but I actually quite like Ramadan for the Iftars in the evening.

jepiv

I reached out to Rosewood and they responded promptly. Definitely reconsidering my stay there. I'm sure it's nice, but this seems like a slight inconvenience.

"Greetings from Rosewood Abu Dhabi!

Please note that during Ramadan most of our outlets will change their timings and policies.

For example:

Glo poolside lounge will be closed and will be back to normal operations starting from October.
Hidden Bar will be closed and will be back to normal operations starting from the 1st day of Eid.
Sambusek will be available only for Iftar (18:30-21:00) and Sohour (22:00-01:00).
Majlis lobby lounge would be available only after sunset.
La Cava will be hosting Eurostadium (during the Euro 2016). Such promotions as Cellar Series, Ribs and Chateaux will not be available.
Manor Club will serve alcohol only after 19:30-22:00
Sambusek brunch, Aqua bruch, and Dai Pai Dong brunch will not be available.
Dai Pai Dong dinner and DPD Bar will be available after sunset until 01:00

However, alcohol can be server inside the room anytime."

scented

It's not just the Rosewood, every hotel will operate reduced to a minimum. It's the same all over the UAE. But it becomes very lively at night.

Big_Foot

This is funny because we had a GREAT experience there.
We had the largest suite facing the mosque, everything was clean and new
and our room service was one of the best we've had anywhere.
On our future AUH layovers we will only stay at Shangri La.
Service overall was great. Your comment makes me convinced
I should filter your posts even more than before.
St Regis on the other hand is awful, looks like a cheap Florida resort.

pricesquire

I feel like most people either love or hate Shangri-La. For instance, I took my dad...and while I wanted to off myself there, he said it was one of the best experiences he'd had at a Middle East hotel.

I think with this property, it's such a love/hate (more so than, say, your average St. Regis).

vuittonsofstyle

My comment was based upon my 3-night stay at the Shangri-La, which really was a terrible experience, especially the food. I agree that St Regis is awful, too.

Conversely, I have had very good experiences at The Fairmont and not bad experiences at Yas Viceroy, but I am waiting for Four Seasons to open for a truly good stay (I hope).

You don't like my posts? Was it something I said?

Big_Foot

Hey, no worries, your post sounded very opinionated and was so different
from our experience
Look, I don't think it's the brand.
We are at Shangri La Tokyo right now and it's a little strange.
The room is AMAZING, we have one of the best suites here, great amenities,
very clean, great view, great everything.
Service is wonderful, they are very helpful, no problems with anything.
But food is very strange. They are making this place look very snobbish
(I guess it's cultural), breakfast is awful to be honest, a very limited choice,
most of the items are tasteless. Lunch is borderline disastrous,
a tiny (I mean you need a magnifying glass to find it on your plate)
portion of chicken called some fancy name etc...
So I guess you can't have everything.
But we would still come back for the room, location and their service.