Tall Order – Another Hotel Record Breaker In Abu Dhabi

There’s a smile on the face of the marketing and communications manager as he proudly gives me a tour of his beloved Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi, because Vivek Suri knows he has an ace up his sleeve!



In this strangely luxurious, almost brash, society, where sand and one-upmanship are commonplace, the need to have something ‘worthy’ to say is almost a prerequisite to doing business in the hospitality sector.

“We have the third highest atrium of any hotel in the world at 125m,” says Vivek. He pauses for my reaction, but realises I need further clarity. The dictionary says that an atrium is an ‘an open-roofed entrance hall or central court in an ancient Roman house.’ But right now, we’re not in Italy and I’m sure the houses didn’t have 527 rooms or 37 floors!

“It is the spacious bit in the middle of the hotel, the gap between the rooms, if you like, where you can look up, way up.” But Vivek is quick to expand. “Theoretically, it is only an atrium if there are rooms either side of the gap in the middle!” Got it! I look up. Wow. Speechless.

This is a view that quickly sends one’s mind into overdrive as you start imagining a Bond movie in which Daniel Craig, dressed in his tuxedo, leaps from the top floor, opens his parachute, floats down to the lobby and coolly walks out escaping the baddie intact. Somehow, it all seems terribly possible in this exotic, and very tall, hotel!

There are even huge palm trees at the foot of the building, forming part of the hotel’s state-of-the-art 3000+ sqm meeting and events space, capable of catering for 2200 guests in a large pre-function area which sits beneath the Dusit Thani’s unique “Sky Dome”. Meeting facilities also include the Onyx Ballroom, Emerald and Sapphire meeting rooms and two boardrooms.

The Dusit Thani describes itself as ‘Thai graciousness in the heart of Emirates’ capital city’ and that would be hard to disagree with. It is an entirely different offering to the Rotana Hotels I stayed in at the front end of my trip or, for that matter, Dubai’s H Hotel, in that it is totally geared up to all food pallets, Asian, Western and, particularly, for Arab visitors, who form a key part of the annual guest list.

The Urban Kitchen restaurant is almost understated because it is a chef’s paradise more than a backwater kitchen; curries, noodles, fruits, breads, pancakes, you name it. An American strolls up to the egg counter at breakfast and tells the omelette chef: “Gimme one of those with everything in it!”. Nearby a Japanese lady dines on sushi while a Filipino tucks into chicken adobo. Ten hours later the same restaurant delivers an exotic array of evening dinner foods that would be quite at home in the Harrod’s Food Hall.

Higher up the building the award-winning Benjarong restaurant specializes in Thai fare, there are succulent steaks at The Capital Grill, and other dining options at the Orchid Lounge and rooftop Dusit Breeze pool bar.

In between sun-bathing or sipping on an exotic cocktail, don’t forget to look around. The skyline views from the pool area will blow you away.

Whether it is signature massage treatment in any of The Namm Spa’s eight treatment rooms, a trip to the 24 hours DFiT Fitness Centre – there’s yoga and indoor cycling – or a simple visit to the nearby Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Dusit Thani has it all, location, sophistication and a smiling team of multi-cultural staff always eager to please.

They’re just waiting for Daniel Craig to drop in and then they will have the ultimate PR story to impress every other hotel manager in the region!

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, PO Box 52799, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Tel +971 (2) 698 8888. Fax +971 (2) 698 8899.

For deals, promotions and prices: www.dusit.com