Emirates palace — Hotel in Abu Dhabi

We were genuinely looking forward to our stay at Emirates Palace, especially after an incredible experience at the Ritz Carlton. Sadly, this turned out to be a major letdown—across service, hospitality, and overall experience.

Room Experience: Before arrival, I had emailed the reservations team to request an upgrade. I was informed that we’d been upgraded to a sea view room. However, at check-in, it was immediately clear that the room had no real view—just a direct line into a neighboring balcony, raising serious privacy concerns. One could only catch a sliver of the sea by awkwardly leaning out or from the corridor.

When I raised this with the team, the duty manager Elisa called me. The call lasted barely a minute. There was no acknowledgment, no empathy, and no solution offered—not even a mention of room unavailability. Worse, the tone was unnecessarily curt and dismissive.

I followed up via email to share my concern. No one has responded even after several days. It’s clear they do not value guest feedback.

Check-In Experience: No welcome drink offered. My 6-year-old daughter asked for chocolates, and we were only given some after I explicitly requested them.

Room Quality: Rooms were clean and tidy—full credit here. I'd rate this part 5/5.

Room Service: Both times I called, I had to follow up again to get what I needed. Not the standard you expect from a so-called luxury property.

Restaurant (Half-Board): We were given a separate limited menu for half-board guests—just a one-pager, with one salad, one appetizer, and one dessert. At the very least, they could’ve offered the full menu and mentioned that only 3 dishes were covered. Felt restrictive and unwelcoming.

Activities & Hospitality: We asked for a tour of the property for our daughter. Initially, they declined. Only after insisting did they agree. We were also unaware of the events happening on the property—had to call around to find details. Why not simply provide a printed schedule in the room?

Hospitality Overall: This is where Emirates Palace fails entirely. The hospitality was zero. My wife said this was the worst experience she’s had in over seven trips to the UAE. It wasn’t just one or two individuals—this was consistently poor across the board.

It’s unacceptable for someone like Elisa, who clearly lacks customer sensitivity, to be in a supervisory role. And it’s even more concerning that feedback emails from guests are simply ignored.

Final Thoughts: After such a flawless experience at Ritz Carlton, this was a complete contrast. Ritz had exceptional staff, incredible food, and beautiful rooms. Not a single area where Emirates Palace scored better. We made a big mistake in choosing this hotel.

To the GM: If you’re reading this, I hope you take this feedback seriously. Hospitality should be at the heart of a property like this, and right now, it’s completely missing. Time to reflect and reset the culture.

Recommendation: If you’re deciding between Emirates Palace and Ritz Carlton—choose Ritz without hesitation. Emirates Palace looks grand in pictures, but that’s...

We recently stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and had a truly memorable experience. Our room had a beautiful view of the garden and sea, and the palace itself is absolutely grand. Because the property is so vast, we really appreciated the convenience of the club cars that took us around.

There was a small hiccup upon arrival in our room, but the team resolved it very quickly and even went above and beyond by offering us a palatial tour of the exclusive “behind-the-scenes” areas reserved for high-profile guests. After the tour, we tried the famous gold cappuccino at Episodes, which was unique and a fun indulgence.

The hotel offers so much to explore, from highly rated restaurants like Hakkasan (which we dined at and enjoyed), to the lazy river, falcon visits, and even camel walks along the beach. The camel ride was the one activity we were looking forward to the most, so it was very disappointing that we could not participate in what felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The ride is not accessible for guests who cannot step up using a knee or folded leg. Beyond accessibility, we felt it was not humane for the camels either, and we were saddened to see one with a puncture wound on its leg, seemingly from guests trying to mount. We believe a simple solution would be for the hotel to provide a stool for all guests to use when mounting, which would make the experience both more accessible and more humane for the camels.

Before arriving in Abu Dhabi, we had stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai, so naturally we compared the two. While Vendôme in Abu Dhabi offers an extensive breakfast spread, we found the flavours underwhelming compared to Dubai’s breakfast experience. In fact, we struggled to find items that appealed to us and eventually started skipping breakfast altogether.

One aspect that stood out was the excellent customer service through their WhatsApp messaging service. The team was always quick to respond, making it very easy to communicate and get assistance whenever needed.

Overall, the Emirates Palace is a stunning property with many memorable experiences and excellent service. Despite a few shortcomings, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would love to return...

Disrespectful Treatment at Emirates Palace Hotel

I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration with an incident that occurred during our recent visit to the Emirates Palace Hotel. We were there to celebrate my uncle and aunt’s wedding anniversary, expecting a memorable and pleasant experience. Unfortunately, what transpired at the end was bit far from it.

There is a wooden stand labeled “101 Abu Dhabi Destinations” at the hotel, which is about the height of a chair. ( with square shape cube )

My uncle, ( a distinguished senior gentleman over 60 and an internationally renowned lawyer based in Dubai) , sat on this cube to take a photo, as this whole set up looked like a photo point. A security guard ( a black tall guy) approached in a very rude and intimidating manner, demanding that my uncle get up. His words were delivered harshly and without any semblance of respect or politeness and was standing too close to my uncle.

This guard could have easily handled the situation with a simple and respectful request, such as, “Sir, sorry, you are not allowed to sit here, please.” Instead, his behavior was unprofessional and disgraceful, showing a complete lack of courtesy. Moreover, there was no apology offered for the rude interruption, leaving all of us feeling humiliated and deeply upset.

This incident has cast a shadow over our entire visit and has left us with a very negative impression about the Emirates Palace Hotel. Given his status and experience, this is particularly disheartening. We feel that the treatment we received might be a case of racism, which is utterly unacceptable.

I urge the management of Emirates Palace Hotel to take action regarding this matter. This specific security guard’s conduct needs to be addressed, and he should receive a formal warning and retraining on how to interact with guests respectfully. Such behavior tarnishes the reputation of the city and a prestigious establishment!

We hope the management will take this feedback seriously to ensure that all guests are treated with the dignity and respect...