Dubai has a new luxury, five-star hotel. W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International, has officially opened a new hotel — W Dubai – The Palm, located on the Palm Jumeirah.
W Dubai – The Palm is the newest W Escape, the W brand’s spin on the traditional resort experience and is set to take the city by storm with its innovative concepts, style, design anddestination restaurants led by world-class chefs including Massimo Bottura and Akira Back.
The hotel hopes to inject a fresh vibe into the local hospitality scene and offer the most sought-after luxury getaway for locals as well as global jet-setters.
Design
The design of W Dubai – The Palm celebrates the evolution of Dubai, juxtaposing the natural curves of sand dunes and coastline with the geometric lines of the city’s skyscrapers. It begins with the hotel’s iconic “W” sign patterned to resemble an evaporated desert river bed and the WHEELS (valet) area reminiscent of a falage, a riverbed covered by palm fronds.
The Orsoni glass tiles in colours inspired by overgrown foliage which reflect the golden sun on the horizon. A five-story atrium envelopes the Welcome Desk, a nod to desert fortresses and citadels. Golden trusses comprised of framed boxes sparkle throughout the space, representing different stages of construction in Dubai, a common sight of the ever-changing cityscape, and sit upon carpets that depict the island’s surrounding waters reflecting both construction and clouds.
Completing the dramatic entrance is “The Soundwave” – a 6.5 ton, 30m long visual vector that represents a W sound wave. The 640 glass pieces, puts on a show of its own, illuminating in alternating intensities and colors to reflect the beats of the DJ in the neighbouring W Lounge.
The W Lounge (lobby) is a stage that celebrates the city’s well-known love of opulence with several geometric fixtures that mimic the raw, natural form of gold. An artistic interpretation of a traditional fire pit sits in the center of the W Lounge, signifying the bonfires that Bedouin tribes would gather around during their desert travels years ago. Connecting the W Lounge to the nearby VIP Lounge is a 13.5-meter sofa in muted earth tones, representing a desert mountain range – the skyscrapers of the past.
Amenities
All 350 guest rooms and suites have curved walls are tiled to glisten like the lights and colors of the sea at various times of the day, bringing the shoreline into each room. Modern graffiti adorns the walls of every room, featuring lyrics in Arabic from an iconic song by Lebanese singer, Fairouz.
After checking in, guests can check out the incredible amenities of W Dubai – The Palm, including the hotel’s multiple pools that sit in a wave-like pattern in the center of the “Escape” area to form the W brand’s iconic WET Deck experience directly facing abeach with views of the Dubai skyline. Guests can swim, soak up the sun and enjoy signature beverages while listening to live DJ performances. The W brand’s signature AWAY Spa has ten treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, experiential showers, a hammam and a couples’ suite. Guests are treated to a design inspired by the underwater perspective of a pearl diver, where shells reflect the sunlight that peeks through the ocean above.
The space also features a Beauty Bar for touch-ups and ‘Quick Fix’ treatments. Lastly, guests can sweat it out at FIT (gym) which has state-of-the-art equipment overlooking the WET Deck, beach and skyline views, featuring abstract art inspired by jellyfish and the parachutes of skydivers.
F&B
W Dubai – The Palm has six beverage and food destinations. Translated as “I will be right back,” Torno Sobito is the first restaurant outside of Italy by global culinary genius, chef Massimo Bottura – whose Osteria Francescana has been feted as the “World’s Best Restaurant.”
The new destination restaurant borrows the phrase from the signs that hang in closed store fronts along the Italian Riviera of Massimo’s childhood. The dishes and design of Torno Subito lean in to Dubai’s reputation for all things playful. Guests dig into Massimo’s favorite bites inside converted rescue boats and pedalos (paddle boats) and can choose a flavour from the roving gelato cart. Guests dine in a 60’s-esque wonderland, decked with woven green chairs, life sized beachfront imagery, bold metallic accents adorning the ceilings and walls, and lighting reminiscent of dressing rooms and marquees from the golden age of Hollywood.
Pro-snowboarder turned adrenaline-fueled culinary master chef Akira Back brings his modern taste of Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean essence to the Middle East for the first time at Akira Back. The entrance is marked by a vortex, meant to instantly transport guests to Back’s world. Inside, the design is inspired by “Wabi-Sabi,” the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and acceptance of the natural progression of growth, life and death. The walls of Akira Back are accented with shattered porcelain intricately arranged in inlaid concrete patterns.
SoBe (short for South Beach) is an adults-only playground inspired by Miami.
LIV offers guests greener, lighter, fresher and brighter options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and was designed using only upcycled materials, meaning no new materials were created to build the venue.
Opening offer
W Dubai – The Palm is offering travellers a grand opening package, HIT ESCAPE from now through December 2019. Book a room for two nights or more and get upgraded. Indulge in breakfast at LIV, afternoon tea at W Lounge and head to an adrenaline-fueled dinner for two at Akira Back. Minimum length of stay two nights. Dhs 1750 (approx. $477 US) per night.
