In this month's Check-in, Hotel Magazine heads abroad to look at the Two Seasons Hotel & Apartments in Dubai.
This January, Dubai’s Gloria Hotel & Apartments went through a complete overhaul and rebranded to the Two Seasons Hotel & Apartments.
The change-up required substantial refurbishments, with everything from the lobby to the guest rooms being made over. This included adding cutting-edge, trendy, and charming elements that you’d find in lifestyle hotels, except on a massive scale.
The massive hotel has a range of 1010 suites and apartments across 41-storeys, towering alongside the city’s world-renowned skyscrapers.
Being as large as it is, the hotel needs an equally large team to run the property day-to-day. Approximately 450 staff are employed at the hotel to provide guests with the necessary high level of service.
A short walk from Internet City metro station, the hotel rises above the bustling Sheikh Zayed highway in the heart of New Dubai, which provides direct access to other major cities like Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The hotel also overlooks and is within walking distance of the famed man-made Palm Jumeirah beach. It brands itself as a “sophisticated oasis of tranquillity in the heart of vibrant Dubai” and based on its positioning in the city the claim is justified.
With a wide range of facilities and its versatile location, the Two Seasons is targeted at both business travellers, holidaymakers and long-stay guests.
The Two Seasons brand is designed to showcase the idea of Dubai having just two seasons each year: winter and summer.
Alike here in New Zealand, the festive season during December is the busiest time of year. However, in Dubai, business ramps up starting in October because of events happening throughout the city like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Dubai Rugby Sevens.
Of course, tourists also flock to Dubai during that season because of its famously warm weather. The busy period continues all the way through to April, making the busy season quite long and drawn out.
In terms of technology, the hotel offers guests online check-in, mobile app, chatbots on the website, and price comparison widgets.
Dining choices are also in high supply at the hotel, with a range of options to satisfy a variety of cuisines for the hotel’s varied cuisines.
Le Grand Café in the hotel lobby is a 24-hour café which offers a range of fresh pastries, snacks and healthy eats. For coffee aficionados, the café has partnered with Starbucks who provide guests with their coffee range.
All-day dining restaurant La Terrasse offers breath-taking views of Dubai’s cityscape. Every night guests are presented with a themed dinner buffet of eclectic food. The food is cooked by the chef in a station right in front of the guests’ eyes. La Terrasse also has its own lounge on the eighth floor, with panoramic views of the Dubai coastline and Palm Island. The lounge offers an a la carte menu and gives guests the opportunity to unwind with flavoured shisha.
The lobby on the ground floor has the Sushi Café, which is full of freshly made authentic Japanese cuisine.
The eight-floor outdoor swimming pool also has a Pool Bar adjacent to it, serving mocktails, snacks and sandwiches, while guests can enjoy scenic views of the Dubai skyline.
The hotel is owned by Al Ghaith Holdings, a business group which is involved in a wide range of fields from real estate management and development, to oil field services and the hospitality industry.
Two Seasons’ management company has ambitious expansion plans, aiming to launch new hotels in Dubai and Morocco in the coming years.
