W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island — Hotel in Abu Dhabi

Five-Star Location, One-Star Service! While the hotel's prime location is its main selling point, our stay was profoundly disappointing due to consistently unprofessional and poorly trained staff, failing to meet the basic standards expected of a five-star establishment.

Our experience began with a frustrating check-in. Arriving at 3:30 PM after a long journey, 30 minutes after the official check-in time, we were asked if our group wanted rooms on the same floor—a request we felt should be standard for a group booking. We were then informed that to be on the same floor, we would face a wait of another one to two hours for the rooms to be cleaned. Given the three-hour window between check-out and check-in, the staff's lack of proactive planning was baffling.

Forced to compromise due to exhaustion, we agreed to take rooms on different floors, only to be told that those weren't available either. After a further 45-minute wait, we finally received our rooms. When we requested a simple gesture of compensation for the delay, we were told our rooms had been "upgraded." However, the only difference was a view of the Yas Marina circuit, which is hardly an upgrade when no race is scheduled. All three rooms were otherwise identical.

The service failures continued throughout our stay. A member of our group, Paras Jain, attempted to join a complimentary yoga session advertised by the hotel. Upon arrival, he was denied entry. The staff at the class spent over 30 minutes making calls, unable to confirm the offer, by which point the one-hour session was nearly over.

Later, when a member of our party fell ill from the heat, we made a simple request at The Garage restaurant to take a small amount of breakfast to their room. The manager was not just unhelpful but rude and dismissive, flatly refusing the request by citing "company policy" without any empathy or consideration for our situation.

The check-out process was equally frustrating. Our room keys were deactivated precisely at 12:00 PM, leaving us unable to access other floors to assist an elderly couple in our party with their luggage. At the front desk, our request for temporary access was denied. To add a final insult, when we asked for one of the "welcome drinks" being offered to new arrivals, a staff member asked when we checked in. Upon learning we were checking out, she refused, stating the drinks were only for arriving guests. This startling lack of simple hospitality was the unfortunate theme of our stay.

Furthermore, despite traveling with an elderly couple, we were assigned rooms in the distant Marina building, a considerable five-minute walk involving multiple elevators, without any warning or our consent.

The only positive moment in our entire stay was when the wellness manager apologized for the yoga class incident as we were leaving and offered a complimentary session—a gesture that was far too little, too late.

I have never experienced such consistently poor customer service. I would not recommend the W Abu Dhabi to anyone seeking a genuine...

Mixed feeling about this hotel really.

The good: The location right on the track and marina is amazing. It’s as close to the race track as you’ll get and close to Yas mall and attractions.

The Garage restaurant, all the waiting staff and talented chefs are a credit to the hotel, we had a memorable time here at brunch and breakfast. The manager of this restaurant and all his team are fantastic and we were very well looked after. The food at the brunch was stunning, as was the entertainment. I highly recommend the brunch

The rooms- we upgraded to a suite overlooking the marina and the race track and had a huge, double length balcony. The views from the balcony were just stunning, at any time of the day. The suite was well appointed with beautiful furnishings and had a bathroom and a separate toilet which was super handy with two kids. There was noise from cars racing but that’s to be expected given the proximity to the track- it’s a busy hotel with a young crowd so don’t expect it to be quiet and peaceful- suggest Saadiyat for that instead.

Wet deck bar and pool- great music with excellent cocktails and a lovely pool. Nice to have sundowners whilst watching the sunset.

The bad-

Twin rooms state they can accommodate 4 but they cannot. Be warned the beds are two single beds- tiny. You will need extra beds within the small room and then have no space to move. I would not recommend this for a family of four. It’s not like in other UAE hotels where the twin rooms are two large doubles or queen beds.

In room dining- really poor- they forgot one of our breakfast for our children and despite saying that I was ordering for four people only provided cutlery for 2 people which meant my wife’s breakfast went stone cold. The in room dining team then tried to blame me for ordering incorrectly which was not true. The hotel were good enough to remove the items from the bill at check out but we would have just preferred our breakfast to have arrived correctly.

3 I asked for my Marriott Bonvoy points for expenditure whilst at the hotel (such as F&B or the upgrade we paid for) to be added to my booking a few days after checking out but was told by the front desk this was not possible. As soon as I said I was raising a complaint it was now suddenly possible and would be credited. Poor customer service from the front desk agent and the email tone basically implied she couldn’t be bothered to assist. Poor for a hotel meant to be five stars.

Overall we had a good stay with a few negative points relating to customer service to improve.

I would say that compared to other five star hotels this is more design forward and aesthetically pleasing than luxury. We would stay again and hope things...

Second Stay (May 2025, Following 2024 Visit)

Returning to W Abu Dhabi for a second stay, primarily due to its proximity to the event venue, I had hoped for an improved experience compared to my previous visit in 2024. Unfortunately, this stay presented even greater shortcomings, making it an overall disappointing revisit.

Several critical service issues stood out:

Breakfast Service: A frustrating 10-minute wait before receiving any attention from the waiter, followed by errors in the meal service, made for an underwhelming start to the day. Cleanliness Concerns: Dirty cutlery and napkins at breakfast raised questions about hygiene standards, adding to the discomfort. Check-In Efficiency: A 20-minute check-in process at 2 AM—a time when efficiency should be prioritized—proved unnecessarily lengthy and inconvenient. Disturbances & False Alarms: The disruption caused by a false fire alarm at 10 PM on the second night further diminished the overall experience, turning an already frustrating stay into one fraught with unnecessary inconvenience.

While the hotel’s location remains a primary advantage, the overall lack of attention to service quality, cleanliness, and efficiency was glaring. Given the pattern of recurring issues across visits, expectations for improvement seem unlikely.

For future stays in Abu Dhabi, exploring alternative accommodations might be advisable to ensure a more seamless and well-managed experience.

2024 Review.

The hotel is centrally located in Yas island. As a matter of fact, you can see some of the events from the balcony of your room.

The rooms are quite tired. Looks like renovation was never done since construction of the hotel in 2009.

Breakfast quality is generally good, though waiters sometimes forget of your requests.

The other part is cleaning. The towels do not get always replaced (towels from the floor are taken away, but no new towels), minibar is not replenished. I attach some pictures of the quality of the cleaning.

As a gold elite member I should get a welcome gift - this was not provided. At later time it was explained by the last minute room change. But still not provided even after explanation.

All in all, I can recommend to stay here, if you attend one or the other event nearby for...