Check-In: Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
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Visitors to Dubai are spoiled for choice when it comes to luxury hotels. The city is home to the biggest hotel names in the business, offering flagship properties and resorts that are truly world class.
One of the more established hotels is Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, which claims an enviable piece of Dubai real estate given it’s attached to one of the emirate’s most popular shopping and entertainment complexes.
The Mall of the Emirates, home to international retail names and famously, the Ski Dubai indoor ski slope, is a big draw to shopaholics and activity-hungry visitors from around the world, particularly from neighbouring GCC countries and some of the destination’s top source markets, including the UK.
As Dubai continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with new malls, hotels, attractions and other tourism-related infrastructure designed to reinvent the destination and boost visitor numbers, Mall of the Emirates was recently renovated to the tune of £184 million.
The project dubbed ‘Evolution 2015’, was spearheaded by mall owner Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), and has seen 40 new retail outlets including 20 fashion retailers open their doors, as well as 12 dining establishments.
The centrepiece of Evolution 2015 is the 24-screen VOX Cinemas, the largest complex of its kind in the Middle East.
It features the first and only IMAX laser screen and the largest VOX 4DX auditorium in the region, as well as a world-first luxury cinema experience called THEATRE by Rhodes, combining fine food and film in collaboration with Michelin-star chef Gary Rhodes.
To coincide with the Evolution 2015 project, MAF, which also owns Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, has ploughed £67 million into a phased refurbishment of the property, which will be completed this month (January 2016).
Marking one of the Middle East region’s biggest hotel renovation projects to date, all 393 rooms and suites and 15 ski chalets have been totally refurbished.
So too have the 15 meeting rooms and the Aspen by Kempinski lobby lounge, while three new standalone restaurants serving Spanish, Levantine and Latin American Asian fusion cuisine have opened their doors to great acclaim.
Add to the mix a revamped pool deck, five brand new pool cabanas, and two additional meeting rooms and the property has been transformed into an urban resort like no other.
The mall and hotel refurbishment programme combined have created a new sought-after ‘destination-within-a-destination’, offering an unrivalled array of leisure, dining, entertainment, retail and business facilities all under one roof.
Travel Daily UK stayed at the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates to check out what the property has to offer.
The location
Adjoined to the landmark Mall of the Emirates, this property is perfect for those who love to shop, plus there’s a range of entertainment options on your doorstep, from skiing to movies. It’s easy to grab a taxi outside the hotel entrance but also convenient to walk through the mall and hop onto the Dubai Metro, particularly if you are travelling to key business and leisure destinations along the Sheikh Zayed Road strip.
The accommodation
We stayed in a Corner Suite, which at 90-square-metres, spans separate bedroom, bathroom and living/dining areas that are well thought out and spacious. These suites are ideal for a family of four or for business travellers looking for a little extra room. The interiors are modern with Arabian motifs in a nod to the property’s location with tones of greys, beiges and greens that are easy on the eye. Stand out features include the comfortable king-sized bed, flat-screen TVs, large bathroom with rain shower, bath and double sink unit, the Nespresso coffee-making machine, plus an iPad – a new feature introduced as part of the refurbishment – which allow guests to check messages, browse the internet or hotel information and also to make hotel spa and restaurant bookings. In-room amenities are ample and of good quality and guests can do their bit for the environment by placing a wooden tree on the bed to indicate they don’t need the bed linen replaced on a daily basis.
The dining experience
Breakfast is served in the new and expansive Olea outlet with indoor and outdoor dining options available. There’s an extensive buffet with a cuisine offering to suit all nationalities, from cooked breakfasts and Arabic pastry baskets to fresh fruit and juices, cereals and also authentic Levantine specialities for which this outlet is famous. During the cooler months, guests can enjoy breakfast on the outdoor terrace overlooking the pool and the city. There are two dining outlets – the trendy Spanish Tapas & Bodega – a fun and casual restaurant serving inventive tapas, paella and signature Gin varieties – plus the sleek cocktail lounge and bar, Noir, which serves drinks concocted by New York mixologists to the sound of DJ beats, as well as Asian-fusion cuisine.
Aspen Lobby Lounge
With Italian marble flooring, dazzling white wall features, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, German crockery, Nikko Japanese bone china and Italian furniture, Aspen by Kempinski is a chic lobby lounge with a subtle Winter Wonderland vibe that acknowledges the venue’s close proximity to Ski Dubai. Ideal for a business meeting or a classic yet casual afternoon tea experience with friends, Aspen is a celebration of the European tradition of a grand café in the heart of the city. It’s open around the clock and also offers all-day dining including an à la carte breakfast. The lobby lounge’s very own resident barista serves more than 20 tea varieties and 10 different Dallmayr coffee creations. It also features the exclusive Victoria Arduino Venus Century Espresso Machine, of which there are only one hundred in the world; Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates managed to secure the final (100th) machine.
The service
The staff at Kempinski Mall of the Emirates are friendly, helpful, professional, knowledgeable and attentive to guest needs. What’s more, the service is consistent and delivered with an all-important smile.
More to come
The refurbishment of the hotel’s 15 ski chalets will be completed this month. There will be four chalet types – the regular Ski Chalet (45sqm), the Duplex Ski Chalet (76qm), the two-bedroom Grand Ski Chalet (150sqm) and the three-bedroom Grand Ski Chalet (228sqm). They will be complemented with five new Pool Cabanas furnished in Florida Keys style that will overlook the pool terrace. The property’s general manager Grant Ruddiman expects the chalets and cabanas to be popular with families and for private events. The hotel will also introduce a butler service this year.
WHY SELL KEMPINSKI MALL OF THE EMIRATES?
- UNRIVALLED LOCATION: Next to one of Dubai’s best malls, connected to Dubai Metro and located on Sheikh Zayed Road;
- ONE-STOP SHOP: The combination of the hotel and mall leisure, dining, entertainment, retail and business facility offering is unique;
- SPACIOUS ROOMS AND SUITES: Well thought-out rooms with big bedrooms and bathrooms, plus the suites boast sizeable lounge and dining areas that could also be used for small business meetings;
- UNIQUE DINING CONCEPTS: New Spanish and Levantine restaurant concepts plus the Noir lounge and bar with Shisha terrace;
- THE ONLY HOTEL WITH SKI CHALETS: The 15 refurbished chalets open this month, as well as five pool cabanas.
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