My first 2024 hotel review!

This was a multiple-KPI trip: clocking enough miles to renew my KrisFlyer Elite Gold, visit a country which I’ve always wanted to, and start the hamster-wheel on my Bonvoy Titanium renewal. Paying $1,600+ for an Economy Flexi return ticket for a 7-hour flight aside, I was excited and game on to make the best of my 3-night trip.

Address – Sheikh Zayed Road Al Barsha 1, Mall Of The Emirates – Dubai – United Arab Emirates. Website.

Contact – Tel: +971 4 377 2000. Email: 03889.info@sheraton.com.

Location – Connected to one of the largest mall in the world, Mall of the Emirates, this property offers sheltered direct access via level 2 to shops and F&B enough to tire out even elephant legs and was the sole reason why I picked this spot amongst its many other glitzier competition. There is a handful of smaller shops around the mall compound but the blazing Dubai sun can make visiting anywhere alfresco feel like a trek.

Price – AED786++ per night booked for a Classic Room via Hotelux = AED2,949 nett for my stay of 3 nights. This booking did not trigger the USD100 benefit so I was quite bummed but went ahead anyways as the rate was surprisingly better than what I could see on the Bonvoy app. So win win!

Getting There – I pre-booked an airport pick up on Pelago for SGD$44 after a $10 discount and thank goodness I did as there were massive crowds everywhere right from coming out of the plane to taking the train to arrival halls, and then after exiting immigration. My KFEG status meant my luggage was already set aside when I got to the belt and from that point on, it took slightly more than an hour from finding to the chap holding my name at arrivals, waiting for him to get the car, and the drive itself with jams along the way, to finally stepping foot into the hotel.

The arrival driveway is on the street level while the main lobby is on level 5 which seems to have benefited from the refurbishment as well.

Check In – At 8pm, the front desk located on level 5 was empty and I was attended to immediately. The check in process was rather muted as the staff barely managed to muster a smile though he thanked me for being a Titanium member. He also explained that the club lounge “has been moved” to level 5 due to ongoing renovations (more on this later), breakfast timings, late check out etc. I was booked into a Superior Room and apparently got a double upgrade to a Grand Deluxe – not sure what’s the difference as the description on the website seems to be the same. Tried to ask for a Suite via the Bonvoy app but it didn’t materializes so boo.

The corridors leading to the room also felt spanking new and set expectations for the room itself.

Room – My Grand Deluxe room, 1210, at 35SqM turned out to be a very nice space – all renovated and very much a modern Sheraton with the classy design and soothing color tones. A far but welcomed departure from its former self.

The door opens to a brightly lit hallway with the wardrobe to the left, containing unfortunately thin bedroom slippers and strangely enough no bathrobes.

To the right is the bathroom – very decently sized for 1pax with a single sink but plenty countertop space, an open concept toilet, and a separate standing shower space (no bathtub). The only weird thing in this space is the bare bones amenities set by default on the tray – only 1x vanity kit and 1x shower cap, with the rest including dental kit available upon request of course but that just adds on to the to-do before one can wind down for the evening.

Toiletries are Gilchrist & Soames ones which I last saw at Sheraton Frankfurt Airport.

The main bedroom space would have ranked higher for me if not for the thin sheets which cheapened the sleep experience. Loved the new carpet design though.

But otherwise, the luggage rack space, the work desk + chair, a chaise lounge, and the wall-mounted but non swivel TV were quite befitting of a newly refurbished room.

The mini bar was tastefully designed and comes with a semi stocked fridge.

Although there was no turndown service so to speak, housekeeping definitely made an impression with the daily towel animal designs, careful covering of my opened water jug, and remembering my request for extra vanity kits.

Club Lounge – the Sheraton Club located on level 22 was undergoing renovations during my stay. The property was upfront about this and states this clearly on their website so I knew to moderate my expectations. But of course still nonetheless bummed about not being able to experience 100% – so if you are paying for club access, DON’T do it during this period!

I do have to also say that the notice however is slightly misleading as there are actually 2 separate arrangements as a club replacement:

11:00am-11:00pm – All day refreshments:

This is served at an alternative space next to the check in desks. The space is super small thought nicely decked out, and offers simple coffee, tea, water, chocolate cookies and dates throughout the day. There is a signage outside the entrance indicating that its for Club Lounge guests only – this spot is unmanned so I suppose it runs on an honor basis.

6:00pm-8:00pm – Evening Cocktails:

This is served at Besh Turkish Restaurant and involves a cordoned off area of the restaurant which seemed capable of handling a moderate crowd.

Food was a simple set up of hot food options, cheeses, fruits, and desserts. I experienced 2 sessions of this and while the first night saw chicken and fish options, the second saw mostly carbs and lamb which I don’t take. So it’s a luck basis I guess. Cold offerings remained largely unchanged.

Drinks wise, I saw 2x white, 2x red, beers, and a sparkling wine option. Strangely enough, the drinks are off limits for DIY – you’ll have to order via the staff and they’ll serve it to you. I thought this slowed down the experience considerably especially when there seem to be only 1 staff at times – but I can tell they do try their best to assist where they can.

Breakfast – served at Besh from 6:00am-10:00am, the rest of Besh is actually quite a nice space to enjoy a slow leisurely breakfast every morning, especially if seated at the alfresco areas which sees cool winds in the mornings (Burj spotting is possible too!).

Food options sees a wide varity of western, chinese, turkish (hummus, falafels galore!), and Indian dishes which should please most people.

I liked very much the addition of Karak Tea (spiced middle eastern tea) as well as table-side Arabic coffee service by a roaming server dressed in traditional Arabic garb.

Facilities – Sheraton Fitness (24hrs) and the Pool (7am-7pm) are located on level 24 alongside Sheraton Shine Spa. The spacious gym in particular is newly renovated and very well equipped (and have rower!)

The pool is a modest rectangle with a handful of sunbeds and super sunny.

Service – Service didn’t leave any bad impressions, with most being quite helpful when need be.

I also made use of the “Hands Free Shopping” Service – a joint service with Mall of The Emirates:

You can basically drop off your shopping loot at any of the Hands Free desks located within the mall, furnish your hotel name, room number and registered name to get a tracking number with a QR code. Multiple drop offs at different desks are possible as long as you tag them all to the same tracking number. Once you are done shopping, you can scan the QR code which will lead you to a website showing the summary of your bags unqiue to your tracking number, select a drop off point from a pre-determined list, and then expect the delivery to happen in the next 15mins.

In my case, the drop off point is Sheraton and the bags will be delivered to the hotel concierge all sealed in a clear transparent bag – you’ll have to call the concierge to delivery them to your room thereafter.

What an awesome service!

Check Out – Seamlessly completed at 4pm on a Saturday and quite fuss free.

In Summary,

despite the lack of a full club lounge experience, I loved the convenience and the refurbished room and would not hesitate to stay here again especially when the club lounge is re-opened.