Nightly rate: AED 800 nett (S$290)
Nightly rate after BRG and Marriott eGiftCard: AED 443 nett (S$160)
Length of stay: 1 night
Membership level: Titanium Elite
W Dubai – The Palm opened in early 2019 along the West Crescent of the beautiful man-made island of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Location
As mentioned in my recent review of Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, there are no convenient stores within walking distance from most hotels in The Palm Jumeirah. There are 2 malls on this island and both are located along the ‘stem’ of The Palm. They are Nakheel Mall and The Pointe, both about 12 minutes away from the hotel. Having said so, it is very cheap to get basic groceries sent to you using the mobile app, Talabat, if needed.
You are not limited to dining in restaurants in the hotel or malls though. The Palm Jumeirah is also covered by Talabat, a popular food delivery service in Dubai.
Arrival
There wasn’t a dedicated check-in counter for Gold members and above but there was only 1 other person in front of me at that time.
I applied a Suite Night Award (SNA) to this reservation and it was cleared 4 days prior to arrival. The SNA was for the Cool Corner Suite but I was further upgraded to the Marvelous Suite the day before arrival!
Once check-in was done, the receptionist pointed to the general direction of where the lift to my room was. As this property has a very large footprint, it was a good 2 minutes walk with my luggage! When I found the lifts, there was only a button to level 1. Although my room was on level 3, I went into the lift anyway, thinking that there may be another lift connecting me to level 3. Well, there wasn’t and I went back down and continued walking further into that general direction that the receptionist pointed towards.
There was another lift further away but this lift had a sign outside (photo below) showing only up till level 1. I did not enter this lift and walked the whole 3 minutes back to the reception to ask for help. If I had entered that second lift, there were buttons to the upper floors.
It was a really frustrating and tiring start to my stay and definitely avoidable if the hotel had a foolproof/complete lift directory.
The room
But the gigantic room made up for it! Room 3113 has a massive floor space of 184 m² (1,980 ft²). It is easily the size of 6 Wonderful rooms. Like in other W hotels, the corridor was very dimly lit; any darker and you would need a torch!
There was another short walkway as I entered the room before I was greeted by a view of the huge living area and beautiful blue waters enveloped by The Palm Jumeirah in the distance.
I enjoyed listening to the record player whenever I hung out in the living area.
The size of the balcony is as impressive as the room itself. As it faces The Palm (East), there wasn’t a view of the sunset. However, the longer side of the balcony offers a partial view of the sea and the setting sun.
The personalised decoration done to the bedroom was the most impressive that I have ever seen! I saw a gcmap picture on the bed and it looked very similar to what I’ve posted on my personal Instagram profile in 2018! The trail of airplane cutouts then led to a “newsletter” with my photo on it! 😂 Just brilliant.
If that wasn’t enough, there were W shoe laces spelling out “W home” and balloons tied to 2 boxes of chocolates. Full marks to Ms Shera from W Guest Relations. Outstanding effort!
Breakfast
Breakfast was served at LIV from 7am till 10.30am in the form of assisted buffet. Staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly!
Food quality was really good and I especially loved the salmon steak.
The beach/pool
Like most other hotels in The Palm Jumeirah, this one has private beach, just beside the pool.
If you are here with a large group, you will not run out of areas to hang out in as there are plenty of beach chairs, beds and sofas all around the pool area. Even a hookah lounge!
Others facilities
The gym, FIT, is allowing just 50% capacity for now. Views from the outdoor area is amazing!
There is a bar, W Lounge, near the reception.
Ratings
Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Location: 9/10
Room: 9/10
Facilities: 9/10
Executive lounge: –
Elite member recognition: 10/10
Value (for what I paid): 10/10
Bottom line
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. Everyone working at this hotel tried their best to make my stay one to remember. Having stayed here immediately after my disappointing stay at Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah made me appreciate the outstanding service a lot more.
Nightly rates of these 2 hotels are very similar throughout the year but W Dubai – The Palm is the clear winner. 🎉
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