W Hotels and Resorts are getting their groove back, and it’s obvious as soon as you check-in to their smashing new adults-only Dubai tower.
IT’S HARD FOR A NEW HOTEL to stand out in Dubai—after all, there are 784 options here, many of which fall into the five-star category. So when the W Dubai Mina Seyahi recently opened in a newly built 31-story tower designed to look like a Saharan viper (use your imagination…), I checked in to see if it could compete with the many cool new upstarts in my home city.
Even before you step inside the building, the new W has one big thing going for it. It sits in a sweet spot between Dubai Marina, the Palm Jumeirah and the new Dubai Harbor, part of much-loved Mina Seyahi, a 900-meter stretch of beach, palm-filled gardens, 19 restaurants and two more hotels—The Westin and Le Méridien—that’s a long-time favorite of visitors and locals alike.
The magic of the W is that it manages to feel simultaneously connected to—yet separate from—all of it. When I’d had enough of squealing down waterslides and sipping drinks at one of the swim-up bars, it was just a short walk on a garden path back to my child-free, adults-only oasis. Yes, this W only welcomes guests aged 16 and over.
But it’s not all about what’s outside. Head indoors, and the first thing you notice are the dramatic interiors by BLINK Design Group, the studio behind The Fullerton Ocean Park in Hong Kong and Roku Kyoto, among others. There are Arabian inspirations, both fictional and factual, throughout the property. The scaly patterns on the check-in desks are a nod to snake charmers, and my welcome drink was served out of an Aladdin’s lamp. Contemporary touches are in evidence, too, such as the magic carpets climbing the walls that morph into geometric crystals as they reach the ceiling, and a dramatic wall of white balls representing prayer beads, each adorned with Arabic script representing a tale from One Thousand and One Nights.
The subtle Arabian influence continues in the surprisingly calming rooms. Behind the extraordinarily comfy beds, white leather headboards mimic the curves and folds of the sails of dhows, and the white walls are covered in a paper-like texture, designed to inspire guests to “pen their own tales”—although probably best you don’t start scribbling on them. Golden treasure chests double as bedside tables, and dangling glass lanterns reminiscent of old fishing floats flank one side of the bed; on the other is a lamp covered in a beaded veil. It all feels very grown-up, a departure from some other Ws that feel a little overly contrived and futuristic.
All 318 accommodations are filled with light that pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors that lead out onto big balconies. My room faced west, giving me jaw-dropping sunset views in the evening, and, in the morning, scenes of skydiving planes taking off from the nearby runway, followed a few minutes later by parachutes hurtling towards the ground at a heart-stopping speed. On the other side of the building, the rooms look out onto the long stretch of Jumeirah beach, the trunk of the Palm, and the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in the distance.
Those views continue in the Bar-B Spa on the 30th floor, where socializing is encouraged and you can order a bellini with your mani-pedi. This is the kind of Spa where I wanted to keep my eyes open during the treatment to take in the rich textures and colors, touches of gold, and tropical patterns on the walls. Treatments are excellent, therapists really know what they’re doing, and the product lines are as luxe as you’d expect in Dubai. My 111SKIN facial left me with an instant, noticeable glow, and I was so impressed with the overall experience that I’ve vowed to make it a regular haunt.
One floor above the Spa is just-opened Japanese restaurant and lounge Attiko, with what must be some of the best sundowner views in town right now. While the hotel doesn’t currently have its own beach club, it’s practically on top of Dubai’s most infamous—and polarizing—beach club, Barasti. Love it (like I do) or hate it, unlike many of the city’s other beach clubs that charge hefty fees for entry, Barasti is free and drinks are reasonably priced, meaning that things can get a bit rambunctious. If all you want is some casual, fun beers by the sea, pumping music and a bit of dancing, you really can’t go wrong. But for something more upscale, just wait a smidge: the W has plans to open its own beach club, Malakite, in 2023, an 8,000-square-meter space with a 50-meter pool, private beach, and entertainment throughout the day.
Right now, the main focal point of W Dubai Mina Seyahi is the Wet Deck, where an infinity pool looks out over Dubai Harbor, a circular bar shakes up cocktails, and all-day restaurant Ginger Moon’s wide-ranging menu spans salads, sliders and stir-fries. And it was here, lounging on a daybed, sipping a fresh apple juice after a poolside sound-healing session, that I began to feel that the W might have grown up a bit.
In the past, I’ve shied away from the brand, finding the Whatever/Whenever-isms and giant Instagrammable Ws a bit too much. But at Mina Seyahi, the vibe feels a bit different. My fellow guests were of an age that probably enjoyed the W’s original—and admittedly game-changing—arrival on the hospitality scene more than two decades ago, and were contentedly enjoying its latest evolution here in Dubai. The music at the pool was the right volume to be energizing without drowning out conversation, a morning Bloody Mary felt cheeky rather than an invitation to get wasted, the service was confident, friendly and fun, and the child-free ambience felt like a much-deserved treat.
In spite of the hot competition across the city, the new W Dubai Mina Seyahi is carving out a niche for itself, without tryingly desperately hard to be achingly cool. And if its early weeks are anything to go on, it’s making a good job of it.
www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dxbmw-w-dubai-mina-seyahi/overview/; doubles from AED1,699
All images courtesy of W Dubai Mina Seyahi.
Written By
