Nightly rate: AED 171 nett (S$62)
Length of stay: 3 nights
Membership level: Diamond
Hilton Garden Inn Dubai Al Muraqabat opened in late 2015 as the first Hilton Garden Inn in Dubai, UAE. There are now 4 HGIs here. You may also read my reviews of HGI Mall of Emirates and HGI Al Jadaf.
Location
The hotel is located in Al Muraqabat area. The rooftop of this hotel is a great place for plane-spotting. I tracked Emirates’ Airbus A380s using Flightradar24 and would head upstairs for a great view of those magnificent machines take-off/land from the airport.
5 mins walk to department store across the road
11 mins walk to Abu Baker Al Siddique metro station
11 mins walk to Al Rigga metro station
12 mins drive to Dubai International Airport
16 mins drive to Dubai mall
Arrival
Check-in was done pretty quick and I had to make the full payment upon arrival. As a Diamond member, I was told that I’ve been pre-upgraded to the 1-bedroom suite. It was very nice of the hotel as HGIs do not usually do suite upgrades.
As a welcome gift, I was offered 500 points (worth $3.50) or breakfast. I chose breakfast, of course.
The room
Aside from the living room. room 605 looked very similar to other HGIs that I’ve stayed in. The bedroom was quite small and I was thankful to have the suite upgrade, for a place to place our luggages.
Best rooms
In general, I always ask for a room on the highest floor possible and it must not be a connecting room (less noise).
Rooms with the best views are those facing West, towards the main road and airport.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served as assisted buffet at The Garden Grille restaurant from 6.30am till 10.30am. As I arrived on Christmas Day, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t crowded during that festive period.
Hot food are pretty basic and what I expected from a HGI (sausages, beans, eggs). Rather surprisingly, the plain croissants were memorable. Unlike in most hotels (even 5-stars), they tasted like they were freshly made and have not been out in the open for a long time.
Laundry
All 4 Hilton Garden Inns in Dubai offer free use of their self-service washer and dryer machines to staying guests! Note that detergent is not provided. You can get it from the hotel for AED 15 or from other supermarkets for about AED 3.
The laundry room is located at the basement and unlike the other HGIs, only had 1 washer and 1 dryer. We did not do our laundry during this stay as we would be staying in Element Al Jaddaf right after this and there would be a washer and dryer in the room.
Other facilities
The swimming pool is located at the roof top. The gym is also located on the roof level, near the laundry room.
Ratings
Breakfast: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Location: 8/10
Room: 7/10
Facilities: 8/10
Executive lounge: –
Elite member recognition: 9/10
Value (for what I paid): 9/10
Bottom line
I loved this hotel as it gave me a break from crowded hotels, especially during the festive period. The great view of the runway at DXB airport is a plus too. Nightly rates in this HGI is typically lower than the other 3.
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