Al Maha Rotana Suites

Rotana is a chain of hotels in the Middle East. They are quite new and the ones that I have stayed in have been generally clean, efficient. They are not excessively luxurious but certainly comfortable, well furnished and equipped. I would place them at 4 star.

There are two Rotana hotels in the Abu Dhabi; one on the beach, and the other one which I was in. It's located in central Abu Dhabi in the commercial and shopping area, a short ...
...walk to the Corniche seafront.

The hotel seems to be offering studio apartment type of accommodation rather than pure hotel, which gives a bit of independece. Om the downside, there is only one simple restaurant, and no bar!


ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION
The building is tall, looks very new and modern. The lobby area seemed rather small but considering the building is tall and narrow perhaps that shouldn't ... more

Rotana is a chain of hotels in the Middle East. They are quite new and the ones that I have stayed in have been generally clean, efficient. They are not excessively luxurious but certainly comfortable, well furnished and equipped. I would place them at 4 star.

There are two Rotana hotels in the Abu Dhabi; one on the beach, and the other one which I was in. It's located in central Abu Dhabi in the commercial and shopping area, a short cab ride from most of the malls and an easy walk to the Corniche seafront.

The hotel seems to be offering studio apartment type of accommodation rather than pure hotel, which gives a bit of independece. Om the downside, there is only one simple restaurant, and no bar!

ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION
The building is tall, looks very new and modern. The lobby area seemed rather small but considering the building is tall and narrow perhaps that shouldn't have been a surprise. There is a small seating area in the centre; to the right is the restaurant, the reception is to the left, and the lifts are straight ahead.

Check in was a little on the slow side, as it always is in the UAE as all hotels have to take photocopies of guests' passports at check in. However here it took longer than normal. After the photocopy, they then took my passport into the back office, apparently to take scans of the main page plus my immigration entry stamp! That was a new one to me!

My reservation was all correct and the people were all pleasant. The front office manager appeared and called me by name, asking about my flight. Everyone called me by name, even the porter: "Can I help you with your luggage, Mr Vodka?"

THE ROOM
Other than the corner rooms, many of the rooms seem to be in clusters of three off the corridor, so you pass through a door into a small hallway, with three rooms off the hall. This seems a good idea and I've not seen this in many hotels, it doubtless gives more quiet and avoids noise - unless you happen to have particularly noisy neighbours!

Like the other Rotanas that I have been to, the room was quite light and gave the impression of being spacious and airy; it's no bigger than any regular hotel room, but the space has been used smartly. Instead of the narrow corridor as you walk in, there is a cupboard on one side and the bath room on the other. This then immediately opens up, with a sink, kettle and cupboards on one side, and fridge and microwave on the other - a veritable kitchenette, no less. This then opens right into the room proper.

The double bed is firm and of a good size. The bedside tables, desk and drawers are all of a light wood, glass topped. The TV is fair sized, with a good selection of international channels, and there is a luggage stand. Overall the green, yellow and blue carpet, light furniture and light brown arm chair and footstool all give a feeling of light, space and comfort, without extravagance.

The room has internet which is charged at Dhs15 per hour (about US$5) so not cheap, but bearable for a swift catch-up.

The bathroom is reasonably spacious, with a fair sized shower stall. There were normal bars of soap, as well as dispensers on the wall over the sink and in the shower. Shampoo etc was by "Bodyline" (the same name as their fitness centre) and was quite pleasant and aromatic.

FACILITIES
There is a Fitness Centre, "Bodyline", which has a gym, sauna and steam room on the 21st floor. There is also a rooftop pool and Jacuzzi so you can soak with a view.

The lobby business centre has the usual printing, photocopying etc, as well as internet access if you don't want to do it from the room.

There are banqueting and meeting facilities for up to 150 people.

A useful money saving tip - the hotel has a laundry room available to guests, so you can do your own laundry instead of paying hotel rates.

FOOD AND DRINK
There is only one restaurant, the City Café offers a full buffet for all meals. The hotel information gives opening times whereas the welcome letter says it is now 24 hours. Good to know.

The breakfast buffet is quite plentiful, with breads and pastries, fruit, yoghurts, cold meats and cheeses and a fair cooked selection.

Other than that there is just room service, which caters for all meals. Full breakfasts for Dhs40. Sandwiches and salads from around Dhs25 to 30, and full main courses for Dhs40 to 60. There is no bar.

If neither of these takes your fancy, there are several restaurants and fast food places within a few minutes' walk, so you certainly won't go hungry.

SERVICE
Throughout, all of the people were friendly and pleasant, using the guest's name, but without being excessive or overly personal. They all seemed genuinely eager to please - when I checked out, there was no porter in site and before I knew it the front office manager had appeared and carried my bag himself to the taxi.

AROUND THE HOTEL
There are several places to eat in the vicinity of the hotel - KFC over the road, several restaurants and other fast food places minutes away.

It is also well placed for shopping; the hotel is on Hamdan Street, one of the main shopping streets in the city. There is a small mall almost next to the hotel, as well as plenty of electronics, clothes and furniture shops all within a few minutes walk.

SUMMARY
Not as plush, or with so many dining options, as somewhere like the Crowne Plaza or the Millennium Hotel but of course it has the advantage of being geared up to giving the guest some independence, so you can prepare food in the room or do your own laundry. Also the room layout does make it feel more spacious.

I don't know what the hotel rack rates are but on most of the local internet booking sites the rates for a single room are between US$190 to US$210 per night. Best prices I have seen were on expedia.com and hotels.com, both offering a single from US$109.

Overall, good value 4 star accommodation. I'd go again.
 

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