We normally stay at the PH DXB, but wanted to try the Palazzo Versace ahead of a future stay at the Bulgari. Due to the lack of reviews on FT I wanted to write a detailed TR of my stay.

I was intrigued as I do wear the brand and knew the hotel was fairly new, however didn't know what to expect as the Gold Coast sister property is tired and doesn't receive positive reviews.

This isn't a Virtuoso property, however is a member of 'Travel Leaders' which have a partnership Palazzo Versace. I reached out to DavidO on FT and was contacted by Angela at his agency. My Virtuoso agent is Australian based and I really didn't want to use a TA in another country, however Angela emailed me with a secure link to fill in with my details, preferences and credit card authority including the ability to digitially sign. This level of digital security impressed me so I decided to utilise their services.

Travel Leaders Select Amenities:

• 100 USD credit towards spa for 2 per stay                   
• Breakfast buffet for two at Giardino included                   
• Guaranteed early check-in and offer late check-out. upon availability
• Room upgrade upon availability at time of check-in up to Grand Suite Creek View                                    
• Beach access with minimum spent and complimentary transfers to Nikki Beach resort and Spa Dubai     
• Free shuttle to Festival City Mall, The Dubai Mall and Dubai Parks and Resorts

We booked one Junior Suite and one Premium Room for 3 nights.

Check In

We arrived via EK limo and the doorman took our bags and once her heard our name summoned the Duty Manager. We were offered a mocktail and some dates and whisked to the Suite for private in room check in.

Entering the hotel you are immediately struck by the immaculate design of the mosaic floor, gilded columns reminisent of the Sheiky Zayed Masjid and the water view. Equally striking was the lack of guests in the common areas which made it feel exclusive. Large vases, marble and the 'Golden Breeze' Chandelier adorn the lobby eschewing Versace's grand designs but muting the Gold and Glitz that one expects of the fashion brand.

I politely asked if the rooms had been upgraded as per the rate and they confirmed we had been upgraded to one Deluxe Junior Attic Suite and one Club Premium Room.

Literally everything is branded. One of my gfs who works for a major elevator company even noted that they had removed their branding for their own design aesthetic.

Room

From the photos I thought the Attic Junior Suites were odd with the sloping ceiling, however they are quite beautiful rooms. You enter into a living and dining area slightly open to the bedroom and an enormous bathroom. The room totals 120sqm and feels spacious.

We were allocated a top floor suite on the corner and were surprised to find two baclonies, one with sun loungers and the other with a table and chairs. It was a 'City view,' however had views of the water. The suite came with a dedicated Butler, I assume there is one per floor, who handled all of our room service, laundry and other requests. He came to check in with us each morning and evening as well.

The Premium Room was of 95sqm size without the parition. It felt just as spacious but lacked the balconies and the bathroom was smaller.

Everything in the room, like the hotel, was exquisite, modern and refined. All of the controls were one touch and digital, a nice contrast to many established hotels.

Curiously, the hotel allows you to pick the colour scheme of your decor including Pink, Blue and Gold. I chose to not do this in case it impacted upgrade chances.

All suites and club rooms comes with Executive Lounge access. I've had friends stay in suites who never knew it existed, I expect, perhaps, because the name sounds like a Business centre.

Deluxe Junior Attic Suite

Club Premier Room

Service

I had very low expectations of service, thinking it would be a nice hard product but lacking in service however it exceeded my expectations. The staff anticipated our needs, the duty manager and Butler checked in with us and everyone greeted us by name.

Dining

My friends had told me that the Breakfast was incredible and it truly was. Chefs made almost anything to order, and there were stations for Arab specialities like Ful Medames, Japanese Breakfast, an entire counter of carbs, fresh fruits and even a Chocolate Fountain (perhaps for children)?

Giardano is fashioned like a beachside cafe in Miami and the staff are quick to attend to you as soon as you sit down and continue to refill your drinks without asking. 

The Executive Lounge was very grand. Designed as three separate living rooms, including an outdoor balcony the waiter made all your drinks to order including a selection of alcohol and there was a selection of hot and cold items. The spread was extensive and including Arab, Western, Indian and Japanese selections. I was impressed with the sheer number of options, well above what I have experienced in RCs that tend to do great club lounges. During our stay we only saw two other guests in the lounge.

As you would expect the Crystal glassware and Crocery were all Versace and the Crystal was so gorgeous I ended up purchasing some for home. I ordered it from my local Versace store which was half the price of purchasing it at the hotel.

One afternoon we had Sheesha and cocktails by one of the pools and although the Sheesha flavour we asked for wasn't on the menu they sourced it for us. They are very generous with their alcohol pours as well.

Location

My local Dubai friends said there's nothing in the Jaddaf waterfront, but it's only 10 mins to Dubai mall and perhaps 15 to DXB.

You should note that the 'City view' rooms overlook a development under construction but the noise didn't bother me. There is also a Masjid on that side so I heard the Adhan at Fajr.

Pool & Spa

The hotel has three pools and a stunning spa, perhaps the most beautiful spa complex I have ever experiences with a jacuzzi, steam and sauna. I had a treatment which was of a high standard.

I was told there are three pools because as the sun rotates, each pool loses sunshine due to the shadow of the building. Two of the pools are adults only. They do offer complimentary access to Nikki beach club as well.

Overall

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the Palazzo Versace Dubai. It's opulent in every way, but refind and elegant. Think of it as muted Versace (ie not Donatella).

The hard product is tasteful, modern and clean and the service was of a high standard.

I can't explain the lack of guests other than perhaps Gulf Arabs stay in the Residences which have their own pools and facilities. I was worried the clientle would be a W type of crowd of loud Instagrammers but that definitely wasn't the case.

We had a stay booked at the Bulgari later this year, but we cancelled and have booked to return.

For those who think it may be gaudy and glitzy I suggest you give it a try. It will impress you.

And if you're into the history watch American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace to help you understand the brand before you stay.

Thank you to David and Ourisman Travel. The property does offer some benefits now if you book direct, but the benefits of Travel Leaders still offers more. I chose not to use other TAs on FT that self promote constantly and am glad to have made the connection as a new client.

Returned to DXB and couldn't decide between the Palazzo Versace again or the Bulgari. Bulgari was finally available via Virtuoso or STARS, however for the price of the second highest category room I could book a Grand Suite City View at the Versace so chose the latter.

Booked through Ourisman Travel again (I only discovered them on FT and when looking for a Travel Leaders Select TA) which afforded the usual benefits of breakfast, welcome amenity, early check in/late check out, upgrade on arrival and $100F&B credit. 

Junior Suite and above guests receieve Executive Lounge access. The VIP Manager reaches out a week in advance explaining the venefits and asking if you have any special needs or prefrences. Combined with my IPreferred Elite status they confirmed the upgrade to a Grand Suite Creek View in advance.

Check In

We arrived just after midnight and the check in agent recognised we were return guests, explained our benefits. Suprisingly he asked me "How much would you like me to preauthorise?" to which I said "Whatever you need."

He then escorted us to the room.

Room

Upgraded a week in advance one category to Grand Suite Creek View (best non specialty suite) which is 130sqm.

We were allocated a room on the 6th floor as I requested a high floor. There are some different room configurations at the hotel within the same category - predrominantly balcony or terrace size.

After travelling through Europe with smaller rooms and junior suites the sheer amount of space was a delight. I know you can pick the colour of your soft furnishings but I am yet to do this. There was a separate living and bedroom area, 1.5 bathrooms and a balcony.

I opened the curtains which had been closed for turn down and discovered this side of the hotel has direct views of T3! As we planned to spend the entire stay at the hotel for some R&R I thoroughly enjoyed watching A388s take off every few minutes.

As a younger hotel all of the controls are one touch and digital.

Service

The service is exemplary with Butler service and they email you if DND is on and you miss turn down or mini bar being replenished. I couldn't access the HDMI port on the TV to watch some shows and movies during our stay so I asked for an Apple TV while at breakfast. It was setup in the room by the time we returned with instructions.

We never saw housekeeping in our room, although at one point we saw four different housekeeping teams on our floor (I think there's only 30 rooms per floor) meaning they waited for us to leave the room before the dual service daily.

Dining

Breakfast has every option you could want - Arabic with Egyptian Fool Medames, Asian, Indian, pastries, salad, fruit and two chef stations - one for Eggs and the other for waffles and pancakes.

We ordered Coffees, Watermelon juice and Sparkeling water and the waiters delivered them each morning thereafter without asking.

There is an Executive Lounge for suite guests that no one knows of. This is the second time we have been the only guests there. The lounge staff clearly don’t drink as your Scotch or Vodka comes in a tall glass half full with the soft drink on the side. They also serve at least 8 main courses in the buffet for dinner as well as Mezze and desserts. We tried afternoon tea for the first time and it was outstanding. It was precisely the afternoon tea they charge for in the Lobby Lounge as it was delivered from the main kitchen.

Pool & Spa

The hotel has 3 pools - A family pool outside the breakfast venue, and two adults only pools in front of the lobby and in front of the spa. The adults only aspect was stric tly enforced by staff which we greatly appreciated.

There are several cabanas around the pool and we had one each day of our stay. I'm not sure whether it was because I asked the VIP Manager but we were never charged for their use.

The building does shadow some of the pools as the day progresses and it's for this reason they have three pools but when it's 45 degrees Celsius the shade was welcome in the afternoon.

Overall

Normally the hotel is an oasis of calm as the wealthy Saudi guests don’t leave their residences but there was a loud last minute corporate group that soured breakfast. Unfortunately they would congregate in the lobby constantly affecting the overall ambience.

Despite that, we had another wonderful stay. We spent most of the time in the hotel pool which is exactly what we needed after a European sightseeing trip. There were never more than 4 other people using the main pool while we were there giving it an almost private pool feeling.

One might think the hotel is riding on its name but it's clear they take service very seriously.

I'm still keen to try the Bulgari at some point in the future to compare.