The plan to switch to W is pretty definite, as far as I know.

The hotel already mostly looks like a W, they just need to add some clashing Technicolour hues and thumping music all over the hotel to complete the process ;)

Planning my Abu Dhabi stay in March. These hotels are within my budget:

• Marriott Downtown
• Courtyard World Trade Center
• Royal Meridien
• Le Meridien
• Sheraton
• Aloft
• Westin
• Marriott Al Forsan
• Yas Hotel

(the last 3 just barely)

I highly value excellent Platinum treatment (suite upgrades), luxurious lounges (food and drinks), large pools. Private beach would be nice. Good gym and walking / jogging routes also a plus.

Don't care for restaurants at all. Closeness to sightseeing sites also not my priority (but won't object to having).

Does any of the hotels on the list stand out as exceptional and a clear choice?…

Best Marriott Club Lounge in Abu Dhabi???
 

Hello All: Last trip to Abu Dhabi I sacrificed my bonvoy points and stayed at the Jumierah Etihad Tower...which had the most fantastic club lounge. That said, I am going back and would like to try and find a Bonvoy property that compares...at least a little ;) Several properties are run down, reviews aren't great....actually some of the nicest reviews are just the Marriott downtown.....We don't beach so that doesn't matter, but we do enjoy the club all day long etc.

Thank you in advance!

The Yas Hotel I guess. I know there is an event on the track on the 15th, so if you don't like the noise....

The Westin is nice too, and is practically on the golf course.

Marriott al Forsan is very new. No idea what the rooms are like but my wife is a member of the leasure club. She likes it. The pool is one of the better ones.

Uber has not returned, but Careem is not bad.

Uber is back in AUH, but not that many cars have signed up so far. Careem has a lot more cars.

Just wanna make sure - are you saying that the YAS hotel now has a lounge?
I always thought they did not have one (and I had stayed there a few months back - nobody told me anything about a lounge, nor did I bother asking!)

jeez, they've kept that quiet, better check it out.

No, sorry, no lounge. But out of that original list I would pick Yas, if the lounge issue wasn't a heavily influencing factor.

Well, lounge is quite important for me indeed.

Which of the downtown hotels:

• Marriott Downtown
• Courtyard World Trade Center
• Royal Meridien
• Le Meridien
• Sheraton

has the best lounge?…

I checked into the Marriott Al Forsan on Wednesday night. So far my experience has been very good.

I had eaten at two of the restaurants on several occasions in the past and was not terribly impressed. The food was ok, but the kitchen was painfully slow on each and every occasion. Nonetheless, the property always looked nice to me and I like the location.

For those unfamiliar with Abu Dhabi, it's about a 20-minute drive to downtown Abu Dhabi, so there may be better options for those who want to be in town. That said, it's adjacent to the Khalifa City area and 20 minutes closer to the airport, Yas Island and Yas Mall, and Dubai than the downtown hotels, which is why I wanted to be in this area.

I had made a 5-day booking beginning Thursday night and successfully applied suite upgrades to upgrade from a basic king room to a one-bedroom suite. I booked beginning Thursday even though my flight arrived Wednesday because I was arriving very late on Wednesday and didn't know how cumbersome the arrival procedures and crossing into Abu Dhabi would be, so I thought staying in Dubai Wednesday night might be a possibility. Nevertheless, I made it to the hotel at 3am Wednesday night/Thursday morning and explained that I had a reservation beginning on Thursday. The front desk clerk was very accommodating. My suite was not available, but she extended my booking by a day and put me in a regular (though still perfectly nice) room for the first night. I then moved into my suite on Thursday afternoon.

The rooms and suites are very large and very nice (even if decorated in fairly generic Marriott decor, though at the higher end of the generic Marriott spectrum). The bathrooms are very large with a beautiful soaking tub and a large walk-in shower. The suite has a double size walk-in shower (in case you want to invite friends) and an additional half bath in the living/dining room potion of the suite.

The lounge is open for an evening happy hour -- which I haven't checked out yet -- though not serving breakfast. So breakfast is served in the main restaurant. I went this morning and was very impressed. They have what appears to be their full buffet set up, though it is not, of course, self serve. There were plenty of staff members on hand to help with your selection. Made-to-order eggs and omelets are also available. The breakfast spread is not as elaborate at many of the higher end luxury hotels, but you certainly will not go hungry and the quality is acceptable.

For my Bonvoy welcome gift I selected a cheese plate. I haven't eaten it yet, but it's impressive looking for a Marriott cheese plate.

I'm supposed to move over to the Downtown Marriott for the second half of my stay, but I may opt just to stay here instead. The only thing that would prompt the move is the desire to spend some time in the heart of downtown (plus the Downtown Marriott has a decent sports bar), though taxis are plentiful and cheap enough that being out of downtown is not a huge disadvantage.

What properties In Abu Dhabi do have heated pools during winter period ?

thanks.