skrosvik

What would be the best hotel in Abu Dhabi in terms of platinum recognition?

Does the St. Regis offer anything but eventual suite upgrades?

I am thinking about staying downtown (June), so I am trying to figure out which of the four downtown properties would be my best bet. I had a great stay at the Sheraton Khalidya last year, but it was also half the price of the other SPG properties. This year, they are all the same price though.

Could also consider the St. Regis as it is not that expensive during my dates.

Would deeply appreciate any input

RAPC

By recognition, what do you want exactly.

The St Regis was excellent on our recent stay and it now looks like they offer the full breakfast buffet as a Platinum amenity, so that is a very nice option. It is a drive in to the city centre, but that is easy enough if you have a car.

Personally we would stay there again in the future ahead of the likes of Le Royal Meridien where we had stayed before.

If location is a factor, then go for where suits you best rather than Platinum recognition, as there is no guarantee on that basis.

dxbtraveller

All in all Abu Dhabi hotels give excellent platinum recognition IMO. Here's my summary:

"Downtown" Hotels:
Sheraton (corniche) - lack of suites means plat upgrades can be few and far between, and the standard rooms are uniformly compact. However, as plat you get points + wine + chocs + fruits, and full buffet breakfast which is top notch. Club room has good offering which is supplemented by access to the bar area above the lobby for canapes and happy hour between 6-8pm IIRC. All in all a nice hotel and very well located for business. This is my preferred choice if in town alone as I don't care for a suite and value the little extras and decent breakfast more.

Sheraton Khalidiya - none of the additional amenities offered at the Corniche, but still with a club room and happy hour. I've bagged an executive suite each time I've been here as plat (>10 stays) so highly likely you'll get one. Breakfast is full buffet in the restaurant - good but not as good as the Sheraton corniche. For me runs #2 for downtown hotels.

Le Meridien - looking tired these days. Again suite upgrades are likely IME, breakfast buffet similar to SK.

Le Royal Meridien - haven't stayed as Plat but had a fairly good upgrade ratio as gold over the years so expect plats get upgraded frequently. Can't comment on other plat benefits.


Outside the CBD:
Aloft - always got a suite here as plat, breakfast in the restaurant is decent. Only 250 points at check in (as per SPG policy)

Westin - haven't stayed but heard it is good for plats too.

St Regis - The SR is a completely different league to all the other hotels and cannot really be compared. This is arguably SPG's best property in the UAE, let alone Abu Dhabi and will only get better over time (its only been opened a few months). St Regis suite is the standard plat upgrade and from my discussion at check-in this is virtually assured if staying midweek. It is tougher at weekends when residents come for weekend breaks etc. Breakfast is excellent and available as a plat amenity. This is a full on resort experience, but is still only 10-15 mins from downtown AD. No other plat treatment AFAIK, but this would absolutely be my recommendation if you are planning on spending some time in the hotel.

skrosvik

Thanks for the input, guys!

Yeah, I was thinking of platinum recognition in terms of suite upgrades, club lounge, happy hour, breakfast...

It does not seem like the St. Regis have a "wine ritual" for plats. I have seen that in some Asian St. Regis properties.

I am leaning towards the St. Regis now, since the rate is just 750 DRH for my dates...the "downtown" properties are around 450 DRH per night.

schley

There is no "wine ritual" offered at the SR sorry to burst your bubble. However the breakfast is excellent.

dodger 1k

The St. Regis is phenomenal, just wonderful, with the most spectacular breakfast, and a terrific Thai restaurant on the beach.

TallestHotelInJapan

Would you guys as a Plat member go for the Sheraton or for the Le Merdien? The Sheraton costs about 100 AED more.

remymartin

Resurrecting this old thread as both St Regis properties are quite undiscussed. The one on Saadiyat island looks like good value for points right now, the newer one less so but hey, it's a new property.

How's the aloft, though? It's decently priced and it's also a Cat 2 so the points go a long way.

I'll be flying in to DXB for roughly 72 hours mostly interested in relaxing and am contemplating spending 2 nights in Abu Dhabi instead, and the last night back in Dubai. Will I lose precious relaxation time in commuting between properties?

ps. Could this thread be made into a master thread? I didn't find one regarding AUH.

NYC2TLV

I stayed one night at the aloft in Abu Dhabi. I will admit, it is in a boring area of town (unless you are going for the conference center) and my room had some visible wear. Everything else though was okay. Fitness center was small, lobby area was typical for aloft.

Haven't stayed at any other Starwood properties in Abu Dhabi, so I can't comment on those.

deadinabsentia

I did Aloft recently.
Suite upgrade, nice hotel, good service. Boring part of town.

Eastside

My favorit is the Westin.
Not expensive, fantastic Plat . recognition with the"happy hour" every evening.
Great pools and golfcourse.

kevinflyaway

I might go to Abu Dhabi for new years with some friends. We doubted between Dubai en Abu Dhabi, but now lean more towards the last one...

Which *wood property is the best for a leisure stay? My guess would be Sheraton since it's a Resort. But I don't have that many great experiences with S.

Looking forward to some more insight in which hotel would be the best for our trip.

cln

I'm also looking into auh properties for December and I guess for relaxation your choice is st Regis saadiyat island or sheraton , both at the beach. we probably stay at LM or aloft because were going to sea`s beaches afterwards

kevinflyaway

Weird thing is I don't get Aloft rates so they don't work with SPG there?

Regis is out of my budget and LM gets some random ratings on tripadvisor. People are more positive on the Sheraton Resort there....

roastpuff

Keep an eye out on the Hot Escapes page, the St Regis pops up there. I'm keeping an eye on that for my own December trip, though I have the Hyatt Capital Gate booked for a great BRG rate for now...