Wozza2404

Airport. DIFC is a solid 20 minute drive and considering it will be at least 9pm by the time you're getting in the car to the hotel, and you're out at 7am again, just do yourself a favour and choose the path of least resistance.

outgoing

We are spending 3 nights in Dubai and pondering either being lazy (Habtoor or LM Mina) or doing some sightseeing (LM Conference Center). It seems that LM CC is better for sightseeing? Perhaps there is not enough sightseeing in Dubai for 3 days anyways so we might split into 1 + 2 or something. Is LM CC indeed also walkable distance from Metro station? It looks very close but divided by all the highways and actually google maps says 30 minutes walk? Are there pathways that shorten it that are just not on google? Also between Habtoor & LM Mina which is better for Plat benefits? From prior exchanges it seems the latter? The other beach hotels in the area LRM/Westin/RC are like twice the price so we will skip those. Thanks for any advice.

Wozza2404

Don't stay at Le Meridien Conference for sightseeing (unless you're heading north to RAK or Ajman).

LM Mina is well placed for getting to Business Bay (for Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall), JBR (for The Walk), and it's very close to Souk Madinat as well. It's a bit of a trek to old Dubai and the Gold Souk, but I'm finding the old Souks are good for a photo but the actual purchase of gems is better done at Dubai Diamond Park these days.

LM Mina has a metro right outside (you can't walk - safely - from Le Meridien Conference to the metro, really), it has direct beach access, and you can use all the facilities of the Westin, but not pay the fee to stay there.

omghaxcode

What do you mean sort out my transport? Do they offer a free shuttle for titanium guests? It looks like they charge $10 per direction.

Wozza2404

They upgrade Plats and Titanium to Le Royal Club, which comes with free airport transfers.

omghaxcode

That sounds like a good fit then. How do I go about arranging this then? Do I book a normal base rate then email them saying I'd like to arrange a free transfer since I'm titanium or do I just arrange a normal transfer and it will fall off my bill?

Wozza2404

Book a normal room and a few days before you'll get an email from Le Royal Club which will offer the free transfers.

reddevil0728

Any thoughts on which would be a better choice?

The price difference is marginal and the location of the two are quite close to each other.

pete.82

JW Marriott in my opinion. Love the view, the style of the rooms (very modern) and the breakfast spread is quite huge (only - very busy sometimes with tourist groups).
Bonus point - all restaurants in JW are excellent, I live here and sometimes go there for dinner / drinks

reddevil0728

pete.82

I stayed once - really liked it, but (personal preference) I still love the vibe of the JW (mostly because of the restaurants / bars scene).
If it's your first visit to Dubai, I understand you might prefer the location of Renaissance though - super-close to Burj Khalifa / fountains, Dubai Mall, ...

Wozza2404

Depends when you're staying as well. I love Cafe Artois outside at the JW but it's closed all summer. I don't mind the Tavern but some people don't like that smoky pub vibe. The Vault is decent in a group.

I agree, my personal choice is also the JW, but if it were my first time in Dubai and I was on holiday, I'd choose the Renaissance (well actually I'd choose neither and stay at a beach hotel, but out of those two I'd pick the Renaissance).

reddevil0728

stargold

Another vote for the Ren.

JWM is a nice enough hotel, and as others have suggested, there are plenty of F&B options which is also convenient.

However, it's a monstrously huge hotel - there are literally 1600 rooms spread across the two towers. This means that the lobby is permanently hectic, it takes an age to retrieve your car from the valet, and as they have vastly underprovisioned the lifts, it can take up to 10 minutes to go down from your room to the lobby. As someone who hates crowds and hectic atmosphere in hotels, it is exactly the polar opposite of what I want.

In comparison, the Ren is much smaller, low key, and infinitely more peaceful. The rooms are also considerably nicer in my opinion - more tastefully put together, as opposed to the JWM which can be any Marriott in the world. F&B at the Ren is not as good, and the breakfast is not my favourite, but overall I still can't imagine opting for the chaos of the JWM over the Ren.

Wozza2404

Pretty much what Stargold has said above.

I like the JW as they know me now and it's stumbling distance from a mate's house. But for a first time I'd choose the smaller, more intimate, newer property.