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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Ali AlEfain |
by Will Hide, The Daily Telegraph, April 25, 2016
This low-rise property carries a well-established swagger, from its sweeping marble staircases to the gold flakes on top of its signature Bloody Marys. It’s a slice of five-star luxury in the desert that manages to tick boxes for both business and leisure travellers.
Location 8/100
The hotel, part of the Al Habtoor City development, is just a few hundred metres from Business Bay metro station and right next to the arterial Sheikh Zayed road, so in a taxi you’re around 10-15 minutes from the Dubai Mall and 25 from the airport.
Style & character 7/100
The style is tasteful and elegant but there’s a heaviness to the décor, so if you’re a fan of “light and airy” this won’t be the hotel for you. Landscaping around the property is not a strong point at the moment, but look ahead a few years when the 3km-long Dubai Creek extension project is finished, and it should be an altogether different story. A Las Vegas-style “water theatre” by Dragone is set to open in autumn 2016.
Service & facilities 7/100
The front-of-house staff were efficient without being particularly warm, but elsewhere smiles and small talk flowed more freely. There are butlers for all guests who will serve (complimentary) tea or coffee in your room, unpack, press shirts and act as concierge.
There’s a decently-sized, parquet-floored gym where you can Skype, Facebook and even catch up on Ted Talks as you work out, while the Iridium Spa has treatment rooms leading to separate male and female hammams, saunas and relaxation areas. The rooftop pool seems a bit of an after-thought: it curves at sharp angles, which at least provides an air of privacy as you can’t see the full length of the sunbathing area from it.
- Bar
- Fitness centre
- Kids' club
- Laundry
- Parking
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Sauna
- Spa
- Steam room/hammam
- Wi-Fi
Rooms 8/100
In keeping with the rest of the hotel the style in the 234 bedrooms is heavy, (thick, striped, silk wallpaper, weighty curtains, lots of marble in the bathrooms), which seems more suited to chilly Chicago in January than sweltering Dubai in August. Room types lead in with Deluxe at a generous 55 square metres. Bathrooms have separate bath and rain-head shower. At the top of the pile, Grand and Royal Suites have private massage rooms and a separate staff entrance.
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Food & drink 8/100
Up the sweeping staircase from the lobby is a French café where you can pause for cakes and tea. Beyond that is the Brasserie Quartier for all-day dining, starting with breakfast buffet and which hosts a lively champagne-fuelled brunch on Fridays. The ground floor St Regis Bar pays homage to the Bloody Mary – said to have been invented at the New York property back in the 1930s – with a gold-sprinkled Golden Mary made with yellow-tomato juice and rose-infused vodka. The culinary highlight, though, is the J&G Steakhouse, where the food was exceptional and should be a must for any carnivore in the Emirates.
Value for money 7/100
Deluxe room-only doubles, including taxes, start from £270 per night, which includes butler service – you can get two garments pressed for free – rising to £340 in high season. Free Wi-Fi.
Access for guests with disabilities?
There are wheelchair-accessible bathrooms on the ground floor and 10 rooms specifically equipped for guests with disabilities.
Family-friendly?
Not especially. A kids’ club will be shared with the adjacent Westin hotel when the latter opens in autumn 2016.
Al Habtoor City, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE. 00 971 4 435 5555 stregisdubai.com
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This article was written by Will Hide from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
