Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites, Now Open
 

Looks like Marriott have finally got something decent in Dubai Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites

Was surprised to hear about a Marriott in the Marina as I've been keeping a closed eye on Marriott's development plans in Dubai. Marriott took over the management contract from Emirates (who still own it) on September 15th. Location is great for those in Dubai on holiday.

Cat 6 Standard reward, gets you a 160sqm/1722sqft 2 bedroom suite which look very nice in the pictures ^

I was there 1-3 oct the 2 bed room huge its not even 2 its really 2 bed room with a small room so its 3
The hotel located in fantastic location the room is great the service is good.

I booked the 2 bed room for 850 a day today its more than 1200 !!

Does look interesting, but what is the pool area like? I do like the JW but being under the flight path is not ideal for sun bathing.

Anyone have any experience yet of staying here with children? I currently have the Hilton Jumeriah Beach booked for 2010 but the prospect of having to share a room with our two year old is not very appealing. The 2 bed suites at the Marriott sound like they could be ideal.

I am particularily interested in facilities such as swimming pool and other recreation areas.

Anyone know what is the location like. The photos on the web site with the skyline look great. But from the map looks like it is in the middle of nowhere - 10 miles away (further) than even Jumairah.

Might be a good choice if I have to to go to Jebel Ali or even Abu Dhabi.

Does anyone know if the lounge is open at weekends? If not do they give out breakfast vouchers?

thanks

Stayed there last Christmas/New Year and lounge was open every day :)

The JW in Dubai is a credit to the brand and good value on points, though better value can be had paying cash on the M11 or M12 code and saving the points for better value eurozone redemptions... or Moscow where quality hotels are eye-wateringly expensive.

I stayed in late May 2009 for a week, the food was excellent, room immaculate, public areas well staffed and everyone superbly helpful, they really go the extra mile.

As for being cut off, well it isn't close to much, other than the airport, but Dubai is a sprawling city with different attractions seperated by long distances, so wherever you stay you'll not be close to all the places you want to go. In my week we never had to wait for a cab, there were always plenty and although the roads are at an almost permanant standstill the cabs are always airconditioned and relatively new. Most of all they're laughably cheap and you only pay by distance so time spent in Dubais' non-stop queues (I love oxymorons) is cost free.

Definitely do the wadi bashing, also the JW steakhouse for one of the best chateaubriands you'll ever taste.

Stay, you will not regret it...

Even London ones??:)

Just booked 5 nights over valentines for 120K points. Can't wait :D

I really like this hotel... apart from the pool area which can get busy.

Cheers,
Rick

Don't forget the restaurants. They are always crowded.
And in Dubai -- a hotel is the only (mostly) place to get a good drink.

The lounge is open 7 days, great breakfast. They have a small kitchen so if you want eggs or an omelet it is no trouble. Also a late night snack (soup) at midnight for you late arrivals.

Just returned from a 5 night stay at this property. The location is about 16 miles south of DXB. The journey to the hotel at 1:00 am took about 20-25 minutes. It is in the Marina area next to Marina Walk and the Jumeriah Beach Residences. "Jumeriah" seems to stretch a long way down the coast.

Positives

The 2 bedroom suites are huge. In reality they are not conventional suites but 2 bedroom apartments. The one we were in had a smaller, windowless, third bedroom with a foldaway bed that would be classed as the Maids Room. The kitchen is a kitchen, not a kitchenette, and is fully equipped. There is also a washing machine and dryer in a cupboard in the hall.

We were travelling with our 2 year old and having the kitchen facilities was ideal. There is a Spinneys 5 minutes walk from the hotel and we were able to stock up on baby essentials so he could eat as near to a normal diet as possible.

The apartments are nicely furnished with plenty of storage space. I'll post some photos of the apartment in the next day or so.

ADSL cable internet is currently free in-room and free WiFi is available in the public rooms. This seems to be a hang-over from the days when the hotel was the Emirates Harbour Hotel and Residence and according to the front desk it is likely to be chargeable shortly.
The hotel is about 5 minutes walk from Marina Walk where there are plenty of restaurants. None are attached to hotels so all are booze-free.

There is a medium sized pool alonmg with a small children’s pool.

Negatives

On check-in I was told that as a Gold member that I was entitled to a complimentary breakfast but that my wife was not. I challenged this and said there was nothing in any of the hotel descriptions or MR literature that said the benefit was restricted to the member. They said that it was their policy due to the hotel being all 2 and 3 bedroom suites. I asked for a manager to contact me in the morning. The following morning I received a call saying the breakfast would be complimentary for both me and my wife.

I can kind of see their point in limiting the number of complimentary breakfasts as it would be possible to have a full apartment of 6 people all wanting a freebie. However, a more reasonable policy would be to extend it to the member and one guest.

The breakfast itself was nothing to write home about. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. It is difficult to say what was wrong but there was definitely something not right.

The hotel is in the middle of a huge construction site. All around there are more skyscrapers going up. The noise is a bit off-putting when lying by the pool. It starts quite early and goes on late. Some sites seem to be working 24 hours although we were not disturbed by the noise from them.

The pool area suffers from neighbouring buildings blocking the sun and with more being built the problem will get worse. The pool area is also a little stark and lacks “something.”

This hotel is not on the beach and the only way to get to the beach is either (a) use the hotel shuttle or a taxi to the public beach at Jumeriah Park or (b) pay to use the facilities of a neighbouring beach hotel. The hotel has an arrangement with the Le Meridien. It costs around Dh160 per adult. The public beach is 20 minutes away and in my view not worth it.

Summary

The hotel is a bit of a paradox. In terms of accommodation it is ideal for families, especially if the children are young. However, its location and lack of facilities for children are disappointing.

Would I stay here again? Very likely. The staff were super friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Ah, the city of Dubai - turd polishing on a grand scale.

This thread is a bit tired, but still relevant. I'm planning on spending five nights at the JW next week. The reviews seem pretty good. Does anyone have any recent experience?

I was there a couple of months ago. I've always thought their welcome routine for elite guests was good, but my arrival experience has gotten better each time, to the extent that this last time, between leaving the car and walking to the front desk, they had already pegged who I was (arriving at 2AM probably helped), and rushed me upstairs to complete check-in formalities in the lounge area then escort me to my room. Ten minutes later there was a fruit plate, baklava platter and a jug of fruit punch in my room.