Again I did a little bit of travelling this Christmas, and the highlight of this trip was undoubtedly Ciel Dubai Marina. You could even say I planned the whole trip just for this hotel. After all, the title alone is irresistible: the world’s tallest single-structure hotel, newly opened. How could I not be tempted? Let’s take a look together.
Reservation
I actually found out about this hotel purely by chance, having stumbled across it while scrolling through Xiaohongshu (China’s social media). It belongs to IHG’s Vignette Collection, and for this stay I redeemed IHG points. Combined with the Chase card 4-for-3 benefit, the four-night stay came to 47,000 points per night.
I also happened to have a confirmable suite upgrade award about to expire, and it is the possible occasion to redeem it. To secure it as early as possible, I called IHG’s US customer service directly instead of going down the Wechat online chat route. The call was answered quickly and the request was handled very efficiently.
The upgrade to a King Suite was painless. Given that it was the Christmas peak period, with nightly cash rates at almost £600, it really felt like a win.
Arrival
The name Ciel comes from French, meaning sky, reflecting its soaring height. With 82 floors and a height of 377 metres, the hotel claimed the title of the world’s tallest hotel as soon as it opened in November this year (replacing the Gevora Hotel, also in Dubai).
By coincidence, I stayed at the nearby W during last Christmas, so I’m fairly familiar with this area. Marina is a pleasant neighbourhood: plenty of dining and shopping options within walking distance, and Ciel sits right next to the Marina Walk for a stroll. As for getting to the airport or major attractions, everything except the Palm is a bit far; but then again, getting around Dubai basically means taking taxis anyway.
From the marina, Ciel looks like a bottle opener, reminding me of Shanghai’s World Financial Centre.
The ground floor is the entrance to Tattu and has direct access to the Marina Walk, which can confuse drivers unfamiliar with the hotel. The actual lobby is on level one with its own dedicated entrance. There’s a lot of construction nearby and the traffic layout is quite complicated, so don’t rely too heavily on Google Maps for routes or time estimates.
I arrived at the hotel just after 10 pm and received a very warm welcome at the front desk. When they learned that I had an early flight on my departure day, they proactively offered to pack breakfast for me, which I politely declined. I was originally assigned a suite on the 24th floor, but at my request it was changed to a higher 37th floor (the highest floor for this room type is 39).
There are eight lifts in total, and you need to select your destination floor first.
Four of them are outward-facing lifts with a view of the marina.
Waiting times really depend on occupancy and time of day. In my experience, most of the time it was under one or two minutes, though there was one particularly bad day when the wait was painfully long.
Suite
Now let’s take a look at the suite. The building is cylindrical, so all rooms have a curved layout. Upon entering, you’re greeted by the living area.
On the left is a small guest bathroom.
Then comes the bedroom.
And the main bathroom.
The bedroom and living room aren’t fully separated, so it’s more of a junior suite. There are two higher room categories above this, which should be the true one-bedroom suites.
The aspect wasn’t ideal – only a partial view of the marina and the Palm.
Coffee machine and a welcome sweet treat were provided.
From both the room and public areas, Ciel’s décor leans towards a modern, minimalist style, which contrasts sharply with the neighbouring W. It’s neither particularly good nor bad, though from a photography standpoint, it’s definitely nothing special.
Dining
For a hotel of this size, it’s surprising that apart from the lobby café and pool bar, there are only two proper restaurants.
The first is East 14, an Asian-style buffet restaurant. Breakfast is served here until 10:30 am.
丰The spread is about average, not a huge variety, but the biggest highlight is an entire section dedicated to Asian dishes.
The porridge, chicken soup, miso soup and dim sum are more than satisfying for me.
The second restaurant is West 13, very similar in layout, serving Mediterranean cuisine.
I ordered fried prawns and a tenderloin steak, both of which were very good.
By the way, Platinum and Diamond members receive a 30% discount on dining (excluding alcohol). This is a long-running IHG promotion in the Middle East.
For the welcome amenity, I chose drink vouchers, which can be redeemed at either restaurant or the pool bar.
Lounge
According to the official website, the hotel is supposed to have an executive lounge called Nest on the 16th floor, accessible to select hotel guests. However, I only learned from YouTube reviews shortly before departure that it’s still under construction. Currently, a meeting room on the 15th floor is used as a temporary substitute.
And yes, they really are just meeting rooms, which feels rather odd, with little in the way of décor.
Soft drinks, fruit and snacks are available throughout the day.
Breakfast is also offered in the lounge, but it’s very basic and I wouldn’t recommended it. Afternoon tea is served from 2 to 4 pm.
Happy hour runs from 6 to 8 pm.
There are four hot dishes daily, which rotate. One day’s selection included:
- Meat kibbeh
- Chicken souvlaki
- Prawn Koliwada
- Vegetable spring roll
The drinks list:
The food leans heavily towards fried items: not exactly healthy, but enough to fill you up. Hopefully, once Nest officially opens, the experience will be much better, though the height of the 16th floor is still a bit underwhelming.
Pools
Both of the hotel’s pools are located on the 11th floor. The one at the west is very small and usually quiet.
The east-facing pool is much larger and features the Ciel logo.
Unfortunately, the construction behind it really ruins the view. The pool isn’t deep, but it’s still enjoyable to swim in.
The hotel’s north side faces the skydiving centre, so there are people floating through the sky at all times.
Gym
The gym on the 61st floor is the highest public area in the hotel, and the views are far better than those from the pools or restaurants.
The spa and fitness classes are not yet open.
Tattu
Beyond its height, another major selling point of the hotel is the world’s highest infinity pool on the 76th floor – definitely something you have to check out. Note that this pool, along with its bar and restaurant, is operated by a third party. Even hotel guests must make a reservation and pay to enter.
The Chinese restaurant, House of Dragons, is on the 74th floor.
Because the pool is on a different level, make sure you book the Sky Pool specifically. There are several options:
- General admission: AED 200 minimum spend, no pool access
- Sunbed & cabana: AED 300 – 500, some may include a credit
Sunbed and cabana reservations are divided into four-hour morning and afternoon sessions. If you fully use the time, it might not be too bad value. I only wanted photos, so I chose General admission instead. This is the indoor area.
I opted for a bar seat by the pool.
From what the staff hinted, it seems that without booking a sunbed you’re technically not allowed into the pool area. However, I walked around taking photos and no one stopped me.
Even though I knew the pool was small, seeing it in person was still quite impressive. If you really love taking photos, it’s worth the money.
The menu prices are reasonable, comparable to the hotel restaurants.
Beach Club
If there’s one clear drawback to the hotel, it’s the lack of a beach. Marriott’s Mina Seyahi resort zone nearly boasts a long, beautiful private beach, while Ciel can only look on enviously.
As compensation, Ciel partners with The8 Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah (also part of the Vignette Collection, so possibly the same owner) which grants their guests access to its Soluna Beach Club. Regular guests pay AED 150, which is converted into dining credit; suite guests get complimentary access.
Since I stayed at the W Mina Seyahi last year, I wasn’t particularly obsessed with the beach this time. But with no other plans, I decided to check it out anyway.
There’s one shuttle per day: departing at 10:30 am and returning at 4 pm, which is quite convenient. The drive takes 15 – 25 minutes.
First, the pool – though having come all this way, I certainly wasn’t going to spend my time here.
There are plenty of sun loungers, but not many guests. I ordered a cocktail and discovered that the Ciel wristband gets you a 15% discount.
The beach is continuous. Walking south, you pass the Kempinski, Raffles and the other W hotel.
Walking north, you can see the famous Atlantis resort, but you can’t access it.
The sand quality is average and a bit rough underfoot. But since all beaches on the Palm are private, having a free chance to experience one is still nice. If it’s your first time, you can also stop by The View for photos (remember to buy the fast track ticket with level 54 access).
Mishaps
Given that the hotel had just opened, I was mentally prepared for some issues, and online feedback confirmed this. But honestly, I was still surprised. On the second morning, when I went to draw the curtains, the rail fell straight down.
I was half asleep and instantly jolted awake. I called for maintenance, and repairs dragged on from 9:30 am to 1 pm. I had breakfast, soaked up some sun, went for a walk, and when I came back they were still at it, so I ended up spending some time in the lounge.
That said, the hotel’s response was swift. I soon received an email from the front office manager expressing concern and asking whether I wanted to meet in person. We met in the afternoon, and she was apologetic and decisive, immediately offering 50,000 points as compensation – even asking if that was enough or if I wanted more. When I mentioned that IHG F&B vouchers couldn’t be redeemed (likely a system integration issue), she promptly offered AED 500 in dining credit instead. Overall, I was very satisfied with how it was handled.
Another major issue was that some of the room lights couldn’t be turned off, which happened every day. The engineer’s solution was to shut off and restart the power at the breaker. Once I learned how to do it, I had to repeat the process myself every night before bed.
There were a few other minor issues too: reading lights not working, suspected faults with the door lock, and the inability to charge expenses to my room due to missing pre-authorisation.
For once I’ve managed to tick off a trendy hotel right after opening. New hotels inevitably have problems, and frankly, there were more than I expected. Still, my overall impression was positive (I’m not too fussy), especially thanks to the attentive service. In a city filled with luxury hotels like Dubai, Ciel doesn’t truly stand out that much, though being the world’s tallest hotel gives you enough reason to choose it already. It’s best to visit after the initial teething period, once the lounge and spa are fully open, for a more polished experience.
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