Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai

The Cranley Report®: Al Bustan Rotana Hotel

Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai

Hotel Address

PO Box 30880
Dubai
UAE

Cranley Rating

Al Bustan Rotana Hotel

Photo 1 of 22. Click to enlarge

Hotel Summary

Category	Hotel
Awards Won	MENA 2005 Platinum Award: Best Conference/Convention Hotel MENA 2005 Platinum Awards: Best Price Value Hotel MENA 2005 Gold Award: Best Five Star Business Corporate Hotel

Hotel Opened

1997

Cranley Summary

The hotel is currently undergoing a refurbishment programme and some disturbances may be experienced. Guests should check with the hotel the current status.

The Al Bustan Rotana hotel is located a kilometre from Dubai International Airport but being away from the flight path it is not disturbed by the noise of aircraft. The hotel has a variety of dinning options including the world famous Blue Elephant Thai restaurant and Benihana American Japanese restaurant. In addition to these two there is a Lebanese restaurant, fine dinning Italian, a sophisticated Grill House and a Mediterranean restaurant. For leisure there are three tennis and two squash courts as well as a comprehensive gym and a pool terrace on the first floor. For evening entertainment there is a different theme night in one of the restaurants every evening with some of them featuring live music as well as the wine bar at the Rodeo Grill Restaurant and the Oxygen night club.

Hotel Location & Layout

Location Description

The hotel is located a couple of minutes from Dubai international airport but being away from the flight path it is not disturbed by the noise of aircraft. Its location near the Al Garhoud bridge gives it easy access to the World Trade Centre and Internet and Media cities, although guests should note that there is heavy traffic in the rush hour across the Creek bridges. The hotel is located just a few kilometres from Deira, the old Dubai, with its array of Souks and businesses.

Airports
Distance	1 km
Airport Transfers	Complimentary transfers for all guests and limousine transfers for Club Rotana guests

Cities and Sights
Distance	5 km
City/Sight Transfers	Hourly complimentary shuttle bus between 10.00 and 22.00

Layout Description

The hotel has a large atrium lobby with the concierge and reception desk on the right side together with most of the boutiques. The restaurants are located on the ground floor with the Body Lines fitness centre, swimming pool, tennis courts and children’s play area are located on a first floor terrace/roof garden. The bedrooms are on four floors with the walkway to the rooms being open plan overlooking the lobby area with additional rooms located on two wings at the back of the hotel.

Lobby & Guest Relations

Open Hours	24 hours
Languages Spoken	Arabic, English, German, French, Turkish, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Tamil
Payment Methods	Major credit cards
Foreign Exchange	Major currencies
Taxis Arranged	Taxi's generally waiting in a taxi pool.
Tours Arranged	A variety of activities can be arranged including Tours of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah and Ajman, Dinner Cruises, Safari's to the Desert, Wadi Hatta or Hajar Mountains, a Night at the Races, Camel Riding, Sand Skiing, Snorkelling or Scuba Diving.

Guest Relations	Standard
Concierge Services	Standard
Medical Facilities	Doctor called in with thirty minutes notice and there is a hospital with an emergency department opposite the hotel
Parking	Complimentary valet underground parking

Cranley Comment

The lobby has a floor to roof atrium with the lobby café in the centre set under a large wooden domed gazebo. The floor is tiled in marble and the walls are paneled in a light wood. There are also two sizable water features that have water flowing over upturned domes that provides a calming sound and there are a number of palm trees to add greenery. Around the perimeter of the ground floor are the restaurants and boutiques.

Shops & Amenities

Description

Car Hire Desk
Tour Desk
Al Safa: Newsagents, toiletries and small gifts
Al Hafla: Gift Shop
Khalil-Al Sayegh: Jewellery
Separate beauty/hairdressing salons for men and ladies: ladies salon also does manicures and pedicures
Gazebo Lounge: the hotels lobby lounge which is open between 08.00 and 01.00 daily and to 02.00 on Thursday’s.

Cranley Comment

The hotel has a small range of shops and boutiques but its location gives it access to a number of nearby stores as well as having a major shopping mall only a few kilometers away.

Rooms, Suites & Villas

Number of Floors	4
Total Rooms	275
Elevators	4
Rooms per Elevator	69
Total Staff	500
Staff per Room	1.8

Check-in Time	14.00
Check-out Time	12.00
Late Checkout	Up to 18.00 subject to availability
Smoking Rooms	44 non-smoking rooms
Room Service	24 Hours
Laundry Service	Same day delivery for items dropped off before 09.00.

Club or Executive Facilities

Guests who have access to the Club facilities have entry to the Club Rotana lounge, receive complimentary limousine airport transfers, private check-in and check-out, complimentary executive buffet breakfast in the Club Lounge, complimentary afternoon tea, complimentary pre dinner canapé3 and drinks, two work desks with high speed internet connection and PC?s, complimentary use of a ten person board room subject to availability, 50 dhs discount on laundry per stay and bathrobes.

Cranley Comment

The rooms are set on four floors with the Club Rotana rooms and suites all located on the top two floors. The rooms all have external views and are approached by a walkway that overlooks the lobby and central atrium. The rooms come in a number of types from a Superior up to a Royal Suite. The rooms are all decorated to a high standard as a result of a constant renovation program. The rooms all come with good basic amenities but not all rooms have balconies. For Club Rotana guests there is a separate lounge on the third floor which provides an additional range of benefits.

Type of Room, Views & Facilities

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Superior	100	Dubai Skyline	Complimentary shoe shine Complimentary newspapers Armchair with footrest Writing Desk Three telephones Double glazing Marble bathroom Bidet Bath/shower	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	34

Cranley Comment

The room is a rectangular shape with a beige sponged effect paintwork on the walls with pink and green flowered curtains. The furniture is light ash colour with a carpet to match. The room has a full length mirror and a couple of prints on the wall. The bathroom has a single basin with green marble top and light green marbled effect flooring.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Deluxe	23	Dubai Skyline	As per the Superior plus: Two person sofa and armchair Writing desk Some with a walk in shower and balcony Some with direct access to the pool	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	43

Cranley Comment

The Deluxe room benefits from an extra 9.5 square metres of space, a balcony, a walk-in shower, and a dressing area between the bedroom and bathroom with wardrobes on either side. The room is decorated to a high standard with green and gold colour and ornate mirrors and lamps. The bathroom is similar in dé£¯r to the superior room but has the additional benefit of a walk-in shower.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Club Rotana Superior	114	Dubai Skyline	As per the Deluxe room plus: Decoder Trouser press Bath robe Suit cover Weighing scale Armchair with footrest Access to the Club Rotana lounge and its facilities	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	34

Cranley Comment

The Club Rotana Superior room is the same room as the standard room but is decorated to a higher standard and with a purple theme to the bedding. Club Executive room guests benefit from the Club facilities and the room has the additional features of a trouser press, suit cover and satellite decoder.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Club Rotana Deluxe	18	Dubai Skyline	As per the Club Rotana Superior plus: Balcony	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	43

Cranley Comment

The Club Rotana Deluxe room is the same room as the deluxe room but is decorated to a higher standard and with different colouring with a gold/beige based colour theme and a deep burgundy bedspread. Club Deluxe room guests benefits from the club facilities and the room has the additional facilities of a trouser press, suit cover and satellite decoder.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Junior Suite	8	Dubai Skyline	As per the Club Rotana rooms plus: Three seater sofa and two armchairs Dinning table for four persons Walk in wardrobe Pantry area with small fridge	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	55

Cranley Comment

The suite is a one room suite where the bedroom area is separated from the dinning /lounge area by a cabinet with a swivel TV on top. Guests enter the room into a small inner hallway on one side of which is the bathroom and on the other side is a pantry area with an under counter fridge and sink; the pantry is enclosed by wardrobe style doors. The bedroom has its own walk in wardrobe. The room has a green theme with all the soft furnishings being green based. The bedroom utilizes gold bed spreads and around the room are ornate gold lamps and accessories.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Executive Suite	7	Dubai Skyline	As per the junior suite plus: Two Satellite TV's VCR/DVD Two room suite Lounge/dinning room Three person sofa and one arm chairs Dinning table for four persons Bedroom has satellite TV and arm chair	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	76

Cranley Comment

The Executive suite is the first room type to give guests a separate bedroom and lounge/dinning room and is 38% larger than the junior suite. The bathroom styling is similar to the other bathrooms with a black marble counter and light beige marble effect tiling. The lounge area has a three person sofa and an arm chair as well as a dinning table, comfortably accommodating four people. The room has a separate desk to work at.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Ambassador Suite	4	Dubai Skyline	As per the Executive Suite plus: Two satellite TV's with additional satellite decoder Additional guest WC Three seater sofas and two arm chairs Jacuzzi bath Walk-in shower	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	85

Cranley Comment

The Ambassador suite benefits from being 12% larger than the executive suite. The lounge is in an unusual triangular shape with the bedroom entrance at the point. Additional facilities include a balcony, a guest WC, a DVD and VCR, Jacuzzi bath and additional armchair. The bathroom design is consistent with the other rooms. The room itself is fitted out with light ash wood furniture and olive green armchairs and a deep burgundy stripped sofa. The bedroom has deep purple bed spreads.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Royal Suite	1	Dubai Skyline	As per the Ambassador suite plus 24 hour butler service on request Music system Piano Fax Machine Complimentary bar set up Three unit suite separate living dinning area and bedroom Additional guest WC 2 x three seater sofa and two armchairs Dinning table for 12 persons Writing desk with three telephone lines Steam bath 3 phones Round bath Jacuzzi Balcony	3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	270

Cranley Comment

The Royal Suite is a substantial size at 270 sq m. Facilities includes a full kitchen, walk-in bar area, a large lounge, guest WC and a substantial bedroom. The suite is decorated to a very high standard with the lounge and bedroom decorated in beige and gold based colour scheme with contrasting black three seater sofas. The bathroom comes fully equipped and includes a Jacuzzi and there is a separate well fitted dressing area. For entertaining there is a dinning table for twelve persons as well as a large entrance lobby to great guests. For working there is a desk with private fax.

Restaurants & Cafés

Number of Restaurants

Restaurant Comments

The hotel prides itself on the quality and diversity of its restaurants. The hotel has two world famous restaurants in the Blue Elephant and Benihana's as well as a fine dinning Grill House and Italian restaurants. In addition there is a Lebanese restaurant where guests can also enjoy some Arabian entertainment with a live band and belly dancing and an international restaurant that also is the buffet breakfast location. Each night of the week one of the restaurants has a theme night which usually involves a fixed price buffet option where guests can sample an array of food from that particular outlet.

Blue Elephant

Restaurant Type	Thai
Restaurant Capacity	Total 141 inside
Opening Times	Lunch 12.00 to 15.00 Dinner 19.00 to 00.00
Dress Codes	Smart casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking areas
Children’s Facilities	High chairs, children under 6 eat free and children between 7 and 12 pay 50%
Breakfast Options	N/A

Cranley Comment

The Blue Elephant is part of the world chain and has won numerous awards. Guests familiar with other Blue Elephant restaurants will recognise the interior theme with its traditional Thai décor and wooden footbridges that cross over the stream running through the restaurant to allow dinners to reach their tables. The restaurant also has a ceiling to floor waterfall that feeds the stream running through the restaurant that not only creates an interesting feature but creates an interesting sound of gushing water as well. The restaurant has fresh flowers flown in from Thailand every couple of days to add to the authentic Thai atmosphere. On a Saturday and Tuesday the restaurant has the Royal Thai buffet.

Benihana

Restaurant Type