W Dubai - The Palm

I spend 100+ nights/yr in Dubai with work and have stayed in a lot of hotels, and thought I'd give this one a try. I was really disappointed throughout my stay and ended up checking out early as almost every interaction I seemed to have in the hotel lead to a poor experience which was leaving me thinking why am I paying to feel frustrated and annoyed every day. Check-in & front desk - In fairness we arrived at ~2am, there was 1 person behind the desk and 1 person in front of us - We waited about 30 minutes before we were seen, next in the queue, at which point a 2nd person appeared behind the desk - Once checked in, there was no one to deliver the 5x bags to the room so I took them myself as wanted to sleep - I was offered 4x Heineken and an apology a few days later - shame they did not look at what I drank in the restaurants, I don't drink Heineken. - I lost one of our two room keys and went for a replacement. I asked 'getting a new card isn't going to disable my other card is it like in other hotels', response was 'no it won't'....guess what it did, as I found later when I couldn't get in the room and had to go back down again to reception - just really annoying. - On checking out early the manager in fairness tried to see if he could fix things, but there's just too many things wrong and I had 3 more weeks in Dubai and didn't want to roll the dice staying in the hotel. Room - Looks nice overall - Was Road facing which was quite noisy at night - Curtains were not blackout and let light in, in the morning - Bath towels were really small more like large hand towels, not what I'd expect nor seen in other hotels, and often housekeeping would only replace with 1 towel despite two staying in the room, same goes for the robes which was really annoying, and you only notice when you need to use them. - Minibar was room temperature, was told it was a 'cooler not a fridge', I asked 'as cooler means room temperature - right?', response was 'yes' and to request ice to cool drinks down. What planet is this normal where all the drinks are warm in the fridge?? - coffee/tea not refreshed, used cups not replaced which you only notice the following day when you want a coffee in the room, very annoying. - Aircon temp regulation didn't work it was constantly freezing. Despite putting the temp to 28C it was freezing, so balanced by opening the patio doors. - TV is not a Smart TV which I'd normally expect, so unable to screen share from an iPad, instead you need HDMI cables and a laptop - who does that these days? Breakfast - The dining room is too small for the number of people, it's crowded and you can see the staff struggle to keep on top of things, with food and glasses running out, it is not a pleasant or elegant experience dining in there when it's busy. - Staff are not attentive whatsoever, you can see they're purely focussed on clearing tables and not looking to service the guests. - My first day after queuing for 10 mins to get in, we were taken to a dirty/used table and told 'we'll clear this for you', I don't expect this. Then a 20 min+ wait for coffee and eggs to not-arrive, I gave up waiting after 20 mins and just went to work. - I only received a coffee twice during my stay and that was only because of manager intervention, most of the time I did not get a coffee at the table and trying to use the coffee-on-the-go machine by the entrance, that never had any milk in it when I tried to use it. - As a guest I did not feel looked after whatsoever at breakfast apart from on our last day when I'd already informed them I was changing hotels. Lunch - Food is excellent and there are less people around which makes the experience less crowded - Service is an issue again, staff are simply not attentive, there's plenty of staff and low numbers of diners but they're not focussed on diner experience. Many times I had to wander around the restaurant to grab the attention of a passing server for support - again not what I'd expect to do. It just makes the whole experience and unpleasant. Evening - Akira Back Japanese Restaurant- was excellent, food superb and service spot on which was refreshing - SOBE Bar/restaurant - Looks nice, plenty of staff but again they're not attentive, you run out of drinks and no one is checking up on you, so I was wandering around trying to catch the attention of someone just to get a repeat round of drinks in. Pool - There's too many people in the hotel for the number of beds, it's a struggle to get one. - The drinks service is a problem. It took over 40 mins from ordering to receive each round of drinks, a consistent problem and very frustrating Read less

We stayed at the W for a week at the end of February, we had a fantastic stay. From arrival where we were greeted by the bell boy who took control of our luggage and showed to reception. Our check in was very smooth although our room wasn't ready we just grabbed some bits from our suitcases and enjoyed the pool area. Francis came over and introduced himself to us and continued to look after us our entire stay (many Thanks Francis you were wonderful). All the staff at the pool and beach were great but it was only Francis whose name we were given as I would have mentioned others. The music by the pool is quite tranquil in the morning and goes pretty upbeat after around 1pm so we would go to the beach if we wanted a peaceful day. Our room was lovely with plenty of space lots of toiletries and the shower was excellent. I had an issue of no hairdryer on arrival which was quickly sorted out for me. There was a couple of days that we had got back to our room and it had not been done so I just called for some extra towels which arrived very quickly. The food in the buffet restaurant at lunchtime was varied and delicious and we had lunch on the beach a few times which was also great, I would recommend the teryaki chicken its delicious. We ate at the Japanese restaurant on the rooftop and it was the best Sushi I have eaten in ages (fatty Tuna). We had the all inclusive package which was well worth it. Thank you all for an amazing stay I hope to come back and see you all again soon. Read less

We have truly enjoyed our stay. From the moment you step into the hotel, you’re welcomed by helpful staff and handed in a refreshing drink. The hotel itself is incredibly stylish with great facilities. The swimming pool is one of a kind and the beach front has incredible views. The rooms are spacious and the balcony we have is a perfect spot for sunset. We availed of the half-board offer and they allow you the flexibility of having either lunch or dinner. The food is world class and with extensive selection. But what impressed us most are the staff. They are very efficient, professional and do their jobs in the most friendly manner. There are a few of them that stands out and looked after us so well during our stay. Jazzen showed us into our room and gave us a tour, pointing out important informations. He handled all our luggages and no request is too big to cater. Always greet us with a big smile and offering help in every way. He is an asset to your team and we wish him well. In the restaurant, they all work so hard and looked after us throughout our stay. Nyi Nyi and Eka are both helpful and attentive during our meals. Every request is granted with a big smile on their faces! Thank you so much! We will definitely be back hopefully sooner than later.😊 Read less