After an irreproachable Méridien Dubai and a W Doha striking in facade but below its promise on certain aspects, the continuation of my journey in the Gulf brings me back to Dubai, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel.
After having been abandoned for a long time by the Starwood group, even if it meant turning them into insipid airport hotels, Sheraton is in fact rising from its ashes with different positioning within the brand itself, resulting in less standardized (even bland) identities than before. It is with great curiosity that I arrived at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Dubai
A hotel ideally located on Sheikh Zayed road
Arriving at the hotel from the airport does not take too long as it is in the part of the central artery of Dubai (or should I say the urban highway) closest to the terminal. The location is ideal in terms of view on the one hand, and activities on the other hand, especially if you are on a business trip. For leisure, we might prefer to go to the waterfront, the marina or even the Burj Khalifa, but the Sheraton is well located overall. Moreover, it is only a few minutes away from the metro.
When I arrive, everything is ready and all I have to do is sign a form to be given my key and taken to my room. As a result of the strict application of the loyalty program, my standard room became a Deluxe Suite.
From the very first steps in the lobby and the corridors, one can feel the will to create a luxurious but warm, discreet and refined atmosphere. A bit like what I had seen at Le Méridien Dubai and the opposite of the W Doha.
Warm and soothing.
A superb Deluxe Suite
It’s time to discover the room. Logically the atmosphere is consistent with the rest of the hotel.
One enters by a large lounge.
It looks better as a panoramic.
Nice gesture: a message from the general manager accompanied by a plate of pastries was waiting for me.
Then the room.
Following the current trends, the bathroom room is open to the bedroom through a large glass partition that can be occluded. A practice that naturally creates a greater sense of space.
Double sink.
Large (and high) bathtub.
Walk-in shower of more than comfortable size.
And always the “home-made” toiletries
And as usual, nothing like a video presentation.
A quality club and restaurant
As a platinum member and staying in a suite, I had access to the club where breakfast was offered in the morning, aperitif in the evening and refreshments at any time.
The place is like the rest of the property. You feel good there.
The aperitif offer is quite rich and complete. Enough to avoid going to the restaurant if you are only moderately hungry.
As for the breakfast, it is in the same vein.
As for the view ….it speaks for itself.
So I only tried one of the multiple restaurants of the hotel: the Feast which is like a big market made of multiple stands, each representing a cuisine from a part of the world.
It will be shrimp and curry.
It doesn’t pretend to be gastronomy but it is simple and well executed. For the more upscale restaurants, I’ll return another time.
Pool, fitness and spa (almost) at the top.
The hotel has a beautiful rooftop pool. One can imagine without problem the superb sight that it must provide on the city…and it is a little disappointing. A security glazed wall largely obstructs the view.
If you want to have the view presented on the site of the hotel you will have to do some climbing or equip yourself with a big ladder.
Come on…it’s good marketing. On the other hand it remains a regret. I am convinced that there would have been a way to better enhance the view for the guests, to make it more accessible even without falling into the excesses of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. This remains the disappointing part of the experience. Unless you have a room on the upper floors and at the right angle of the hotel (and therefore have to pay the price), you will have to settle for a more “classic” view.
The hotel has of course a fitness room. It is excellently equipped and large. On an upper floor, of course, it offers an unobstructed view and is a nice change from the too many fitness rooms hidden in basements.
There is definitely enough room for everyone to work quietly, at the machines, on the floor, and for a large number of clients to use the room without feeling like they are stepping on each other. One of my nice surprises of the year with the room of the Sheraton Oman or even of the Westin Honolulu (in this last case the fitness room was really the only good thing in the hotel).
I will end with the Spa. I did not test the treatments but only the facilities.
Very comfortable changing rooms.
Two Jacuzzis side by side.
The sauna and the hammam are brand new (the steam in the hammam made it impossible to take a picture).
And an area to lie down and read a book during your stay at the spa.
There are hotels that have a utilitarian vision of this type of facility, more with a gym approach, and others with a more lounge-like approach. Here it’ s really in the second case. One could spend hours there.
Sheraton Grand Hotel Dubai: the perfect performance
In conclusion, it is really close to the services of much more upscale hotels. The difference with a hotel like the Grosvenor House, for example, if it is real for the customer accustomed to luxury hotels, is not that perceptible for whom has normal expectations. I even find that the design of the rooms seems more upscale than that of its renowned neighbor. It’s all a matter of taste but I really felt very comfortable in this hotel. If we have to rate a hotel according to the fact that we would like our home to be like it, I would put the Sheraton Grand Hotel Dubai in the top of my ranking, far above more exclusive and renowned properties.
A hotel that I can only warmly recommend, as you can see.
The grades
Room : What more could I ask for ? A better view? It exists and it has a price tag that I am not willing to pay. So at my level nothing to complain about. 10.
Catering / Bars: I only tested the club and the Feast, not enough to be exhaustive but enough to say that it is solid. To be conservative, I’ll settle for an 8. Special mention for the lounge.
Check-in/out: it went so well that I had no reason to mention it in the post. 10.
Application of the loyalty program: strict application of the protocol without any flaw, upgdrade in suite. 10.
Facilities: Impeccable pool, fitness and spa. I’ll give it a 9.5 for missing the opportunity to showcase the rooftop pool view better (even if it’s more of an architectural and security constraint than a desire of the hotel).
Experience for money:My initial reservation was for a Deluxe Room at less than 200 euros per night. What more could you I for for this price? 10
Service and care:impeccable. 10.
Hotel (location etc): good location even if the tourist may prefer other parts of the city. Nothing to say about the decoration, the cleanliness, the Wifi… 8.
