Novotel, Dubai - Cranley Report

The Cranley Report®: Novotel

Novotel, Dubai

Hotel Address

World Trade Centre
PO Box 9622
Dubai
United Arab Emirates

Cranley Rating

Novotel World Trade Centre Hotel

Photo 1 of 16. Click to enlarge

Hotel Summary

Category	Hotel
Awards Won	MENA AWARDS Golden Trophy - Best 4 Star Hotel (2003) Silver Trophy - Best Environmental 4 Star Hotel (2004) Silver Trophy - Best 4 Star Business/Corporate Hotel (2005 & 2004)

Hotel Opened

2003

Cranley Summary

The Novotel World Trade Centre is largely geared towards the business traveller and has the benefit of being centrally located, giving it easy access to the leisure areas of Jumeirah, the major shopping malls, new ski slope and the Creek. The hotel has 412 well maintained rooms including 13 suites, all decorated in a contemporary style. The hotel features a courtyard swimming pool and has a gym, as well as steam room and massage facilities. For dining there is the formal restaurant, ‘Entre Nous', a coffee shop serving light snacks and a pool bar serving sandwiches and burgers. The Blue Bar offers guests live jazz and blues on a regular basis, as well as having a good range of Belgian beers. The hotel adjoins the World Trade Centre and guests can seamlessly move from the hotel into the convention centre without going outside.

Hotel Location & Layout

Location Description

The hotel adjoins the World Trade Centre and is located at the start of the Sheikh Zayed Road near the Creek. Its location gives it easy access to all parts of Dubai, ranging from the old town of Deira to Jumeirah beach and the leisure areas of Dubai. There is shopping nearby at BurJuman as well as the Mall of the Emirates, which is about 15 km away. For those travellers interested in beaches, golf and leisure, the Jumeirah Beach Park is 6 km away, whilst all of Dubai’s golf courses are within 20 km of the hotel.

Airports
Distance	3 km
Airport Transfers	Complimentary shuttle bus that operates on the hour (half hour at peak times) to/from Dubai International Airport

Cities and Sights
Distance	4 km
City/Sight Transfers	Taxi

Layout Description

The hotel is designed in an L-shape, allowing most rooms to have an external view of either the Dubai skyline or towards the desert; though some lower floor rooms have an obstructed view because of the adjoining WTC. The entrance lobby and reception, the Entre Nous restaurant, Café Cream coffee shop, gift shop and the Blue Bar are all on the ground floor. The pool area is in a courtyard adjacent to the Entre Nous restaurant and has access via a staircase to the first floor health club and gym. The business centre and meeting rooms are also located on the first floor with all of the bedrooms and suites situated on the floors above.

Lobby & Guest Relations

Open Hours	24 hours
Languages Spoken	English, Arabic and several other languages
Payment Methods	All major credit cards and cash accepted
Foreign Exchange	All major currencies exchanged
Taxis Arranged	Taxis are arranged on request
Tours Arranged	A variety of activities can be arranged including Tours of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah and Ajman, Dinner Cruises, Safaris to the Desert, Wadi Hatta or Hajar Mountains, a Night at the Races, Camel Riding, Sand Skiing, Snorkelling or Scuba Diving.

Guest Relations	Standard services
Concierge Services	Standard services
Medical Facilities	Doctors are called in as required
Parking	Free parking under the hotel

Cranley Comment

The hotel is set back off the main road and its modern design is apparent on entering the hotel lobby. The lobby area has cream marble flooring and high ceilings, whilst the walls and counters are decorated in dark wood. The concierge desk is located towards the front of the entrance area, with the reception counter located behind it on the left. The hotel's four lifts are situated opposite the reception desk across the lobby. At the front and rear of the entrance lobby are numerous leather sofas and chairs where guests can relax. To the right hand side of the lobby at the rear of the lifts is the Café Cream coffee bar. At the far end of the lobby to the left is the Entre Nous restaurant, which opens onto the courtyard swimming pool area. Next to the restaurant is the gift shop and opposite that is the Blue Bar. The entrance to the World Trade Centre is at the far right hand end of the ground floor.

Shops & Amenities

Description

There is a gift shop in the lobby area, selling a range of souvenirs, toiletries, newspapers and magazines. The shop is open from 09:00 to 23:30.

Cranley Comment

In addition to the hotels lobby gift shop, there are a small number of outlets and an ATM machine within the World Trade Centre complex. There are also numerous shops and restaurants only a short walk away across Sheikh Zayed Road, which can be reached via a footbridge.

Rooms, Suites & Villas

Number of Floors	13
Total Rooms	412
Elevators	4
Rooms per Elevator	103
Total Staff	210
Staff per Room	0.5

Check-in Time	14:00
Check-out Time	12:00
Late Checkout	Subject to availability Until 14:00 without charge Scaled charges apply later
Smoking Rooms	198 non-smoking rooms
Room Service	24 hours
Laundry Service	To be collected by 09:00 for a same day service Express service available within 6 hours at a surcharge

Type of Room, Views & Facilities

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Standard	399	Dubai Skyline/Desert	Individually controlled air conditioning Satellite TV High speed internet access Tea and coffee making facilities Safe deposit box Mini bar 2 seater Sofa Table and Chair Desk/dressing table Bathrobe Bath tub with shower Bathroom scales Hairdryer fixed in the bathroom	3 Adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	26

Cranley Comment

Standard rooms are located on all floors and are decorated in a modern, contemporary style with cream walls and grey/green carpets. They are each furnished with a low level King sized bed with cream and beige linen, a two-seater grey/green sofa, a low level armchair and circular steel table with a wooden top, as well as a wooden desk area/dressing table in a light coloured wood and a hard backed adjustable height swivel chair, as well as a table lamp. The rooms are equipped with a Loewe satellite television and have high speed internet connection. Connecting cables for laptop computers are available from the reception desk if required. Bathrooms have tiled floors with magnolia tiling and white sanitary wear. Most rooms have an external view towards the desert or the busy Sheikh Zayed Road.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Suite	13	Dubai Skyline/Desert	As per the standard room with the added benefit of: Separate lounge and dining room Sofa, two armchairs and coffee table Dining table and four chairs Desk Two satellite televisions Separate shower	3 Adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 12	55

Cranley Comment

Suites are located on a corner of the hotel, with one suite on each floor and therefore benefit from views in two different directions. Each suite has an entrance corridor/lobby, a dining room, lounge and desk area as well as a separate WC. The bedroom has an en suite bathroom with the added benefit of a separate shower over the standard room. The décor is almost identical to the standard room, being contemporary in design with light colours, although one wall has been painted red to give a more spacious feel to the suite.

Restaurants & Cafés

Number of Restaurants

Entre Nous

Restaurant Type	International
Restaurant Capacity	144
Opening Times	Breakfast 06:00 to 10:30 Lunch 12:00 to 15:00 Dinner 18:30 to 23:00
Dress Codes	Smart Casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking areas
Children’s Facilities	Children’s meals, Children under 6 eat free
Breakfast Options	Full buffet breakfast with cooking stations

Cranley Comment

The Entre Nous restaurant is an extension of the lobby area and shares the same modern décor, with high ceilings, bright light marble flooring and dark wood tables and chairs. The restaurant effectively has three separate sections; a central area dedicated to dining and sections on either side of that containing the bar and the buffet areas respectively, both of which also contain dining tables. The sections are separated by floor to ceiling modern style partitioning with some gaps, which breaks up what is otherwise a large very open plan area. Mirrored walls give the impression of a larger area still. Entre Nous serves international cuisine and has a buffet as well as an a la carte option. The restaurant has buffet theme nights, with a different country or type of food featured, several nights a week. On Fridays there is a barbecue buffet, with unlimited house alcoholic drinks at an all-inclusive price.

Café Cream

Restaurant Type	Coffee Shop
Restaurant Capacity	Total 70 (inside 38, outside 32)
Opening Times	Early Bird Breakfast 04:00 to 06:00 Sandwiches and snacks 07:00 to 23:00
Dress Codes	Casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking areas
Breakfast Options	Continental or English breakfast served all day.

Cranley Comment

The Café Cream coffee shop serves a variety of teas and coffees, including several types of espresso, as well as sandwiches, pastries and an All Day Breakfast. Like the Entre Nous restaurant, it too has an open plan design within the hotel lounge area, which is an extension of the lobby, to the side and rear of the lifts. Inside seating is set around glass-topped tables and high bars with stools, whilst the outside seating is on a terrace that adjoins one of the entrances to the convention centre. Café Cream is located close to the Blue Bar.

Bars

Number of Bars

Blue Bar

Bar Type	Blues and Jazz Bar
Bar Capacity	N/A
Opening Times	14:00 to 02:00
Dress Codes	Smart casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking areas
Admissions Policy	Over 21's Only

Cranley Comment

The Blue Bar is a cocktail style bar with a jazz and blues theme, specialising in Belgian beers, which the bar claims is the biggest selection in Dubai! The bar, which is set in the middle of the room with seating around it, is decorated in a contemporary style with high ceilings and has various musical instruments and music related pictures to reflect its theme. There are plasma screens around the bar and live blues and jazz is performed on selected nights of the week, which may vary according to the time of the year.

Chill’s Pool Bar

Bar Type	Pool bar
Bar Capacity	N/A
Opening Times	10:00 to 19:30 Friday to Wednesday 10:00 to 22:00 on Thursday’s
Dress Codes	Swimwear / Casual

Air-Conditioning	No
Smoking Policy	No non-smoking areas

Cranley Comment

Chill’s pool bar is set in one corner of the outdoor courtyard that features the pool and it adjoins the Entre Nous restaurant. There are a few seats at the bar, but most seating is provided on the terraces surrounding the pool. There are a number of wrought iron tables and chairs, with padding for the chairs, set under wooden parasols, together with the sunbeds around the pool. The pool bar serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as a range of salads, sandwiches and burgers. Waiter service is provided, both to the tables and also the sunbeds. Very sensibly for a pool area, plastic glasses are used.

Business & Event Facilities