{"id":26160,"date":"2025-12-29T19:43:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T19:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/?p=26160"},"modified":"2025-12-29T19:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T19:43:42","slug":"my-review-of-ciel-dubai-marina-worlds-tallest-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/2025\/12\/29\/my-review-of-ciel-dubai-marina-worlds-tallest-hotel\/","title":{"rendered":"My review of Ciel Dubai Marina (World’s Tallest Hotel)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Again I did a little bit of travelling this Christmas, and the highlight of this trip was undoubtedly Ciel Dubai Marina<\/a>. You could even say I planned the whole trip just for this hotel. After all, the title alone is irresistible: the world\u2019s tallest single-structure hotel, newly opened. How could I not be tempted? Let\u2019s take a look together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reservation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The upgrade to a King Suite was painless. Given that it was the Christmas peak period, with nightly cash rates at almost \u00a3600, it really felt like a win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrival<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The name Ciel<\/em> comes from French, meaning sky<\/em>, reflecting its soaring height. With 82 floors and a height of 377 metres, the hotel claimed the title of the world\u2019s tallest hotel as soon as it opened in November this year (replacing the Gevora Hotel, also in Dubai).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By coincidence, I stayed at the nearby W<\/a> during last Christmas, so I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n

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From the marina, Ciel looks like a bottle opener, reminding me of Shanghai’s World Financial Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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\u2019s a lot of construction nearby and the traffic layout is quite complicated, so don\u2019t rely too heavily on Google Maps for routes or time estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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).<\/p>\n\n\n

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There are eight lifts in total, and you need to select your destination floor first.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Four of them are outward-facing lifts with a view of the marina.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suite<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s take a look at the suite. The building is cylindrical, so all rooms have a curved layout. Upon entering, you\u2019re greeted by the living area.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On the left is a small guest bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Then comes the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n

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And the main bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The bedroom and living room aren\u2019t fully separated, so it\u2019s more of a junior suite. There are two higher room categories above this, which should be the true one-bedroom suites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aspect wasn\u2019t ideal – only a partial view of the marina and the Palm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Coffee machine and a welcome sweet treat were provided.<\/p>\n\n\n

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From both the room and public areas, Ciel\u2019s d\u00e9cor leans towards a modern, minimalist style, which contrasts sharply with the neighbouring W. It\u2019s neither particularly good nor bad, though from a photography standpoint, it\u2019s definitely nothing special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dining<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For a hotel of this size, it\u2019s surprising that apart from the lobby caf\u00e9 and pool bar, there are only two proper restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The first is East 14, an Asian-style buffet restaurant. Breakfast is served here until 10:30 am.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u4e30The spread is about average, not a huge variety, but the biggest highlight is an entire section dedicated to Asian dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The porridge, chicken soup, miso soup and dim sum are more than satisfying for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second restaurant is West 13, very similar in layout, serving Mediterranean cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I ordered fried prawns and a tenderloin steak, both of which were very good.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the welcome amenity, I chose drink vouchers, which can be redeemed at either restaurant or the pool bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lounge<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to the official website, the hotel is supposed to have an executive lounge called Nest <\/em>on the 16th floor, accessible to select hotel guests. However, I only learned from YouTube reviews shortly before departure that it\u2019s still under construction. Currently, a meeting room on the 15th floor is used as a temporary substitute.<\/p>\n\n\n

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And yes, they really are just meeting rooms, which feels rather odd, with little in the way of d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Soft drinks, fruit and snacks are available throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Breakfast is also offered in the lounge, but it\u2019s very basic and I wouldn’t recommended it. Afternoon tea is served from 2 to 4 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Happy hour runs from 6 to 8 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There are four hot dishes daily, which rotate. One day\u2019s selection included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n