Keyser

this is my go to property in dubai....

i stay here often enough so i just contact the revenue manager directly & she always manages to give me a lower rate than what is offered on spg.com so it always comes out to be a lot cheaper than the gh....

but if both properties were at a similar rate then there is no doubt the gh would be a better option....

JetPlatmember

Hello everyone,

Going to Dubai in the last week of March (hope its a good time to go to Dubai) with my wife and 4 year old twins. Which is the best SPG / Marriott hotel to stay considering the following

1. Allow 2 adults and 2 kids (4 years) to share the same room
2. Have a good kids club
3. Enjoy plat benefits including a good lounge
4. Anyone having experience in Dubai of frequent upgrades to suites / full breakfast

Thanks

ryan182

I recently did a stay at the LRM and while the room was nice, service was top notch, breakfast was solid, the pools....lets just say they have 3 of them and they would do well to make one kid free. I'm not an anti-kid person at all, heck some people might even say I'm a very large one myself, but I do feel like a bar is not the best place to just dump your kids to flop about and splash which is what I endured each day. A flock of 6-12 year old kids swimming, throwing balls and doing kid stuff in the pool right at the swim up bar, and again I totally get kids wanting to have fun in a pool but a bar area doesn't strike me as the appropriate place for that....though neither their parents nor the staff seemed to think it was inappropriate. They did have some solid deals on booze at the pool if you bought bottles which were all on discount (40-60%) when were there and they keep them overnight so if you're going to be there a few days and fancy some drinks I'd look into that.
We did take the shuttle one night to the GH for drinks at their bar on the roof level and they had some solid cocktails. The GH looked really nice but given we were decompressing after a vacation and wanted to spend time in the pool/beach picked the LRM, I did talk to several folks that were staying at the GH and apparently they can use the pool there as well. While the distance as the crow flies is very short the bus ride took awhile given the street layout and number of u-turns required with the one-way streets you can nearly walk it as fast as the shuttle takes.

flockavelliFT

I‘m planning a trip to Dubai in October as a (younger) couple with SPG Platinum. Our focus is on relaxation and pool/beach. Since it seems like a good fit and I read so much about it, obv I opted for the GH.

Now another couple wants to join in on our trip (no status). They have been to Dubai many times and love the night life w/ restaurants etc. They told me they would always wanna stay in the CBD part and definitely not marina because it‘s so much closer to everything.

Which hotel there would you recommend which also has a great pool? I looked at the Sheraton MOE whcih looks nice overall, just pool seemed a bit subpar for a vacation.
An obvious advantage of the merger is that now excellent Marriott properties are also an option: The Renaissance Downtown looks great.

porkie

Marina is a much better choice, especially if you are looking at pool/beach relaxation - you won't get that in downtown. Marina itself is also the nightlife hub and offers much better dining options than any other area in Dubai. GH is an amazing property with great plat recognition + you get access to the pools and private beach at LRM which is just 3 minutes away on foot.

Dubai is also easy to travel around, cabs are accessible literally everywhere and it won't take you more than 20 minutes ride to downtown if needed, you'll pay around $12-15.

If you still decide on downtown, the JW is the one you want to stay in. Sheraton MOE is located somewhere between Marina and Business Bay and the area around doesn't really offer anything interesting (apart from MoE, but again it's 10 mins cab ride from GH and a free shuttle runs there as well).

Kagehitokiri

those with points might also consider al maha in case redemption changes

stargold

Not hugely impressed with GH the more I go. Nothing wrong with the place as such, but apart from a better-than-average lounge, I'm just failing to see the appeal.

Rooms just look a bit tired and old fashioned. Lounge is okay but at the end of the day, low end wines and sparkling wine with a bare bones buffet so it won't replace a proper dinner or bar in a hurry. Service is better than average but not enough to make me super enthusiastic. Had to stand my ground to improve upon the low-floor Junior Suite upgrade to a Premier Suite (despite asking my Ambassador in advance), which took a further hour to get into. Breakfast took a step down in terms of variety after they renovated the restaurant.

In comparison, the suite I got at Le Royal Meridien (unprompted) was very fresh feeling and spacious. The rooms at Sheraton Grand is also very modern and well appointed, and they are excellent about giving suite upgrades. Then there are the Marriott ones - the Renaissance actually looks like it has the best hard product of the Marriwood lot, and has risen to #11 on Tripadvisor for the entire Dubai within some six months of opening.

I booked my recent visit to the GH somewhat hesitantly, but will not hesitate to skip in favour of some of the other options in the future.

porkie

I've been getting some outstanding value out of GH, every time I stay there the staff goes beyond to get me upgraded to their premier executive suite (top category that goes for 1600++ per night) and I don't ever need to wait more than 1-2 nights if none of those are available till one shows up and I get moved there. It's also very easy to BRG and if I look back, every stay was at 500-600/night.

VCURamFan

Contemplating 3 nights in Dubai on a stopover back home to VA from Africa in January. I am SPG plat and would like something on the beach, typically love St. Regis properties (StR Bal Harbour/Maldives my fave in the world), but looks like that won't fit what i want here. Considering Marriott/SPG, it looks like maybe Ritz or Le Meridien are the best options?

schley

Just 'better than average' lounge??????? Um this is one of the best 3 lounges in the entire SPG system.^ Wouldn't say it is missing much at all and I regularly eat enough to replace a meal without question. It is the best reason to stay here IMO and will continue to do so.

HHQX888

@ schley : GH lounge is not this same as was at beginning of a Tower Two, yes it is very good but now falling down as room prices at GH.
Now I have booking with all taxes 85.-EUR BRG rate and with this level of prices hotel must cut services for guests.

stargold

Let's be realistic. It's not exactly gourmet food. Not too dissimilar from a decent Asian airline's business class lounge F&B offerings in quality and variety. The wines were pretty ropey as well.

Ruya, the new-ish Turkish restaurant in Tower One, is excellent though.

schley

It's a club lounge, not a restaurant, thus don't compare them to restaurants, compare them to lounges. It is one of the best 3 lounges in the entire SPG system. Is it better than the Buddha Bar restaurant no, or other restaurants, but it is an awesome lounge. Free food and drin, thus compare it to lounges, not paid restaurants.

fdem

What many seem not to understand is that a lounge is primarily for pre dinner drinks and a couple of canapés. It seems we on spg forum are as obsessed as those on Marriott which is by the way the top topic on their forum

rashidmuntasir

There are many hotels you could go for, depending on the closest to where you want to visit. The Jumeirah area has many hotels. I am not sure of the points though.