5 New Hotels That Prove Dubai Is as Over the Top as Ever

Dubai loves its big numbers, and the 243-metre-tall FIVE Jumeriah Village boasts a staggering one: 269 swimming pools, most of which are found on the balconies of the tower’s 247 hotel suites and 254 multi-bedroom apartments, affording guests their own private way to float above the Dubai skyline. For those who want to be a bit more social, there’s also a larger communal pool, plus the global street food-inspired Soul Street restaurant. The hotel also grants access (and shuttle service) to all the outlets and beach facilities at sister property FIVE Palm Jumeriah. Among the over a dozen drinking and dining options there is The Secret Room, a nightclub that lets VIP guests arrive by driving their flashy cars straight into the middle of the venue via a hidden-away, Batman-style entrance in the underground car park.

Occupying two 60-floor towers connected by a floating Sky Bridge, the Address Sky View Hotel is the latest addition to Dubai’s Downtown, which is home to the Dubai Mall and world’s tallest building, The Burj Khalifa. Opening in November, the hotel’s most dramatic feature is the 220-metre-high bridge that links the two glass towers: it’s spread across three floors and features a 70-metre infinity pool and a branch of celebrated Asian bar Ce La Vi, which also graces the surfboard-shaped rooftop of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel. With the hotel’s close-up views of the huge annual New Year’s fireworks display off the Burj, this is set to be the most sought-after address for New Year’s Eve—and there’s a 230-square-metres Presidential Suite for those who want to take the party private.

Opening in December, the first Paramount Hotel in the region—courtesy of Paramount Pictures—is set in a development comprised of three luxury residential towers and the 69-floor hotel tower, all of which are connected by a multi-level plaza. Naturally, the place aims to make you feel like you’re in the movies—or a film studio—with video walls in the lobby, grand spaces lined with marble steps and gold banisters, movie-inspired entertainment, and a 140-seat Paramount Screening Room. The 92 suites come in five themes: The Godfather, Silver Screen, Carole Lombard, Gatsby and the Producers Suite, the latter with a private screening room and hammam. All suites all have a giant LED TV screen hidden in a big mirror in front of the beds for accessing an interactive entertainment system loaded with the back-catalogue of Paramount Pictures films. There’s also a hidden Prohibition- inspired speakeasy-style bar (requiring a password for entry) that features “interactive” images of actors on the walls, as well as a pool deck, spa, gym, and plenty of retail and F&B options.

The first Andaz hotel in Dubai—slated to open in December—mixes an upscale boutique feel with a design inspired by Emirati culture. From textiles that reflect the geometrical embroidery of traditional hand-woven fabrics and beds framed by a canopy to create an interpretation of a Bedouin tent to an adults-only Cabana pool deck lined with tiles form a modern Arabic mosaic and palm tree-inspired umbrellas by local Emirati artist Khalid Shafar,  the place features plenty of nods to local culture—which is surprisingly rare among the city’s luxury hotel scene. The hotel also serves as an art gallery, with contemporary art pieces showcasing local artists’ works hanging throughout the public space. Spread out along a 300-metre-long private beach on the right trunk of the shoreline, the Andaz occupies two 15-storey towers that give the 217 rooms and suites (as well as 116 serviced residences) floor-to-ceiling views out over Palm Jumeirah.

W Hotels have a reputation as social hubs, and the design and layout of W The Palm– and even the scent featured throughout—is similar to that of other W locations around the world. But the big draw to the first W Hotel in Dubai (opened earlier this year) are the restaurants, which come courtesy of Italian restaurateur Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana—the three-Michelin-star spot voted the best in the world—and Akira Back of Iron Chef fame, who brings his Japanese/Korean fusion cuisine to the Middle East for the first time. In addition to the high-end culinary options, the hotel is drawing Dubai residents with its Ibiza-style parties on the pool Wet Deck, featuring live DJs and a 360-degree bar, and evenings at the W Lounge, where the fire pit has been designed to represent the fires the Bedouin tribes would gather around.