Rose Rayhaan hotel by Rotana in Dubai is the world’s second tallest hotel certified by the Guinness Book of Records, soaring 333 metres with 72 storeys. In a city loaded with hotels and guesthouses, standing out from the crowd is not easy. Rose Rayhaan hotel by Rotana has done just that by standing taller than the rest of the crowd.
While it may not matter that much in a land oozing with tall structures, it did matter in my case as I chose Rose Rayhaan hotel primarily for this claim to fame rather than any other distinguishing service, just so that I could brag about it myself.
Of course there were other factors as well. I did an exhaustive research online, especially checking the reviews on booking.com and hotels.com before finally deciding on Rose Rayhaan hotel dubai.
Rose Rayhaan hotel also has the distinction of being the only non-alcoholic hotel chain in UAE. Not so good news for those who like to have their drink at their place of rest.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL ROOM:
I stayed at the single room deluxe on the 44th floor. The view from the room was awesome. The size of the room, while not the most spacious I’ve stayed in, was quite adequate. You didn’t bump into things while moving about. The lighting in the room was adequate and spread out evenly. I’ve stayed in rooms where the entire light was concentrated on one end, casting strange shadows on the other end.
And the extra space for the kitchenette I talked about earlier added another dimension to the room.
My primary aim for choosing Rose Rayhaan hotel was the fact that it is the second tallest hotel in the world, and that I’ll get to see the Dubai skyline by booking a room on one of the higher floors. While I couldn’t get one of the really higher floors as the price rises steeply after the 50th floor, I still got a great view from the room, so in a way my purpose for choosing this hotel was fulfilled.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL LOCATION:
My secondary purpose for selecting Rose Rayhaan hotel was the fact that it was located on the Shaikh Zayed road in Dubai, a street on one end of which is located the Dubai Exhibition and Convention centre where the Automechanika exhibition was being held. I was participating in that exhibition so it made perfect sense to be based somewhere near to the ground zero.
Exhibition aside, the Shaikh Zayed road is one of the most prominent areas of dubai where not only the tallest tower in the world, Burj Khalifah is located, but also most of the international food joints like Applebees, Cold Stone and Pizza Hut are located.
And then there is the Metro train station just a walk away from the hotel entrance. So location wise Rose Rayhaan hotel is a great choice.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL FOOD:
Rose Rayhaan hotel is quite expensive, there’s no question about it. As such I didn’t dare partake of any of its delicacies lest it cost me a fortune, which it probably would.
So the only thing I tasted there was their continental buffet breakfast which was included in the package. And judging by the breakfast I can safely conclude that the food overall is great there because the breakfast was impeccable.
Apart from the usual suspects, it had thrown in some great Arabic delicacies for good measure.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL VALUE FOR MONEY:
Put it this way, if I was funding my own travel and was on a pleasure trip instead of a business trip, I would have never thought of staying at Rose Rayhaan hotel, because to be honest, it’s quite expensive for the average guy with normally free amenities like the internet not only paid but exorbitant as well. And for someone who can really afford extravagant hotels, I’m not sure whether he would prefer to stay here when there’s a huge array of luxurious hotels available in Dubai.
So while it’s a more than good hotel, I feel Rose Rayhaan hotel will have to position itself somewhat different.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL ADVANTAGES:
- Great view of the Shaikh Zayed Road especially if you’re staying on a 40+ floor.
- Presence of kitchenette including a microwave makes things a little bit more manageable especially if you’re staying for more than a few days. However, the addition of a few plates would have gone a long way in facilitating things even more.
- Everything within a walking distance. Even the Metro station was literally beside the entrance of the hotel.
- The standard room is pretty sizeable, and pretty much insulated from the outside noise especially from the adjacent rooms. This is something of a big problem in many of the Dubai hotels.
- Free Airport shuttle service.
- No dance club in the hotel. What this means is that you won’t get disturbed by the noise if your room happens to be located somewhere near it.
- Reasonable room rate considering the location. Shaikh Zayed Road is one of the upscale districts of Dubai. Its not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not going to empty your wallet either. For cheaper solutions, you’ll just have to head towards the Deira side of Dubai.
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- Not that much of a big deal, but everyday when I returned to my room, the Rose Rayhaan hotel staff had placed two chocolate covered dates on my bed and two complimentary water bottles. It didn’t matter whether I had consumed the dates or the water from the previous day. They just piled up more. It’s a small gesture, but it goes a long way in telling your customer subtly that you care.
ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL DRAWBACKS:
- The biggest shortcoming of Rose Rayhaan hotel is its lack of free internet access. Not only is the internet paid, it’s exorbitantly expensive at AED 25 per hour.
And activating the internet service was a big pain in the ass. You had to call in the tech manager who took his own sweet time coming to the room and activating the service on my laptop.
It so happened that I never felt the need for the net, making do with the Etisalat service on my cellphone, And yet when the time came to check out from the hotel, they had charged an hour for the internet. Now that was infuriating. Although AED 25 is not a big deal, but I wasn’t in any mood for paying something I had not used and pointed out to the FDO that although I got the internet activated, I never used it. The charges were promptly dropped.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ROSE RAYHAAN HOTEL:
I enjoyed my stay at Rose Rayhaan hotel and I feel they could make it more enjoyable for its guests by introducing free internet access. It really is mind-boggling considering that internet access is dirt cheap throughout the world. Hell, its’ free in almost all the hotels as well as motels I’ve stayed in Pakistan, which is supposed to be a Third World Country.
It just doesn’t make sense that a hotel in Dubai, one of the most technologically savvy cities in the world right now, doesn’t have free internet access.
People have come to accept free internet access as a fact of life just like drinking water, and if a hotel doesn’t offer that, it risks either losing prospective customers, or infuriating them if they happen to find out later.
One great thing Rose Rayhaan hotel could do is a add a viewing deck of some sort on the top and advertise it aggressively. And then confine the access to just the guests staying at the hotel.
Rose Rayhaan hotel in Dubai has got a lot going for it. If it can just fine-tune its internet access issue and then market the hotel, in fact brag about it, it could grow even taller, figuratively speaking.
‘Enjoy Free Internet at the Tallest hotel in the World’. Now how’s that for a tagline?
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Beautiful blog with awesome information. This is what I am looking for for my Dubai visit. I got a plane from my brother, he lives in Dubai and has a chance to go there. Thanks for sharing such information.