DUBAI - RENAISSANCE HOTEL

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April 23rd to 26th I transited in Dubai en route to Kabul. My client booked the hotel, the Renaissance Dubai in Deira, about 15 minutes from the airport, so dutifully I pitched up. The hotel, part of the Marriott Group apparently, claims to be a 5-Star (I asked the - inevitably - Russian girl at reception what class it was and she looked at me as if I was mad). Over-priced (650 AED/night - US$177) and pretentious, I think it qualifies as a 3-star, and therein lies the rub.

I don't mind staying in a hotel that says it's a 3-star because I know what I'm getting. Indeed, I don't mind staying in a Hmong village in Laos and having my toes suckled by a pig during the night - I've done that too in the course of duty. But I DO object to being over-charged by an enterprise pretending to be that which it is not.

The hotel lies in a desert of nondescript commercial blocks and fronts on to a flyover. Not it's fault, you might say, but a disappointment when Dubai offers so much in the way of sightseeing, shopping and entertainment. One would like a pleasant stroll and a nice cafe; instead you have to brave the fumes and dust to get...nowhere.

The lobby is mediocre and the rooms... well, OK, but all Marriott rooms are just OK. That said and in fairness I do enjoy the Marriott style bed, spacious enough. And they make it very soft by seeming to have an extra layer over the mattress, extra pillows too which I like. However the room was identical to the one I slept in in for months in Karachi and that Marriott is definitely 3-star!

Restaurants: very expensive so the only viable place to east was 'Harry's Place' that served a pre-cooked steak and kidney pie and assaulted my ears by one of those mediocre Filipino bands singing elevator songs. The place also allowed smoking which is quite retro.

Fitness: anyone who knows me knows I'm a fanatic on this subject. The pool at the Renaissance is fine and full length. They were renovating the gym - the current arrangements enabled me to get an adequate workout.

Now for my main beef: I expect a hotel claiming to be 5-star to provide free wi-fi. Not only does the Renaissance NOT do so, but it insists on providing the service against an overly complex password system involving visiting the business centre and obtaining a sealed envelope (billed to the room), then accessing the hotel site and entering the code.

I don't have the heart for this blather after a long red-eye flight. I want to get in my room, check the necessary and sleep; instead I have to dick around and then answer the email in the lobby because the wi-fi doesn't reach the rooms.

So don't stay there! Dubai has lots of nice hotels and I'll be recommending some as we go forwards. But the Renaissance Dubai deserves to be given a wide berth - even if someone else is paying!

Renaissance Dubai Hotel,
Salahuddin Road, Deira


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Photos

Renaissance Hotel, Dubai
Not my favourite place to stay

Comments

[Noreen]

Marriott
Hey Geoff, it was good reading about the hotel in Dubai. I wonder if the GERMAN would agree with you about the Marriott.