The hotel group that redefined luxury with the opening of Burj Al Arab in 1999, has now redefined the more modest 3-star experience with its latest hotel: Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah.Published on : Tuesday, April 10, 2018
The hotel group that redefined luxury with the opening of Burj Al Arab in 1999, has now redefined the more modest 3-star experience with its latest hotel: Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah.
The first hotel in the new Zabeel House by Jumeirah collection is described as ‘Maximum Attitude, Minimum Frills’, emphasizing the focus on creating a playful guest experience that is friendly to the bank balance through stripping back the non-essentials that often drive the cost of a hotel room upwards. But with comfy rooms, smart service and inspiring design, that doesn’t mean a boring, feature-less stay.
If you’re looking for a hotel close to the charming, historic Dubai Creek, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah is in the new Al Seef district by Meraas, creators of family, couple and tourist friendly neighbourhoods across the city, such as Kite Beach, City Walk, and BoxPark. That means lots of shops, cafes and pop-ups on the doorstep, blending into the city’s past the Creek is where Dubai’s story began Jump in a taxi at Dubai International Airport and be checking-in 15 minutes later – leaving plenty of time to explore.
Speaking of checking-in, here’s the first frill that has been removed – there’s no valet, but there is an underground car park directly beneath the hotel. There’s self check-in (although there’s also a staffed check-in desk) and instead of a bell-boy welcoming you in the lobby, a large artwork on the ceiling spells out ‘You are welcome’ in Arabic.
Instead of the dark, hushed tones of some hotel lobbies, this one is designed to make you smile. Like the rest of the hotel, it’s quirky, stylish and made for Instagram, with a different story to find in every corner. Furniture and airy partitions replace walls to delineate the spaces that are washed with light, both busy and calm at the same time.
Which other 3 star hotel room comes with a bright red Smeg fridge? The 150, self-knowingly titled ‘Pocket Rooms’, are where you’ll really feel the difference between a normal 3-star and Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah. Every inch of this 23 square metre space has been engineered to ensure a light, roomy experience. Fresh, young and colourful – reminiscent of a hip city apartment: this is for the traveller who wants to stay in a resident’s apartment but doesn’t want to make their own bed.
Perhaps they should be renamed, as there is no bath tub, but who takes a long bath when there is a whole city out there to explore? Instead there is a generously sized walk-in rain shower with amenities.
Restaurants C.U (named after the chemical symbol for Copper, due to the prevalence of the material around the hotel) offers a mix of Pan Asian and Middle Eastern dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And unlike many hotels (particularly of the 3-star category), you can order breakfast eggs anytime of the day. Across the lobby, MishMash offers elevated streetfood from around the world, and for those who want to get out and explore the neighbourhood, there’s a Grab-N-Go for picking up a perfectly packaged meal.
Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah is the first hotel to open in the Zabeel House by Jumeirah collection. Labelled ‘upscale casual’, meaning that the hotels feature sharp design and smart service, are informal in approach with a moderate price point, each property in the collection is located in an interesting neighbourhood, often slightly off the tourist trail.
Tags: 3-star hotel experience, Al Seef district, Jumeirah, Zabeel House MINI