Andaz Dubai The Palm, by Hyatt — Hotel in Dubai

We booked a sea view room and our view was obstructed by buildings. Our room smelled of mould. The floor we stayed on smelt of sewage. Nothing was done about this until we raised this as an issue 3 days later. The staff were hesitant to swap our rooms but they did after we asked multiple times. The new room also smelt of mould and had a foggy window and again further obstructed our sea view (which was already obstructed by buildings). Apparently the sewage smell was because a pipe burst and for three days they had not fixed this. They said the mould smell was from the air conditioning.

We tried to check in early and were made to wait over 30 minutes after a very long flight at reception at 5am. We were made to pay almost a whole day fee for 8 hours early check in. We were half board so this fee really should have included breakfast but didn’t. The receptionist staff really tried to upsell us a suite which was out of our budget and initially did not let us check in early. He then spoke to his ‘manager’ and said there are no sea view rooms left only suites. Then he came back to us and said that he is holding one room for a “VIP guest” but can let us have it if we pay a whole nights fee, we refused so he spoke to his manager again and gave a reduced rate. This just shows to us that our room was in fact free but for early check in they tried to bump us as much as they could. And they did.

At check in they asked if we would like to leave a holding deposit or pay as you go. We said pay as you go because we did not want to incur extra unknown fees. A member of staff accompanied us to our room and removed the alcohol in our fridge.

Once we swapped rooms due to the smells on the floor and in our room, we expected our preference of pay as you go to remain and continue on however were greeted with a stocked mini fridge. We had genuine belief that the hotel were fully aware of this as all rooms come fully stocked and if a customer is pay as you go they then remove the alcohol. Since no staff came to remove the alcohol we had the genuine belief that the mini fridge was stocked up and not removed as an apology for the inconvenience we had faced over the past 3 days of our stay.

The food was bland and options were quite limited in the main restaurant. In the Mexican restaurant I ordered an enchilada and it came in a green sauce and when I took my first bite I got a bit of chicken bone and cartridge in my mouth. This is absolutely not acceptable for a 5 star hotel. We ordered room service and got pizza which was very underwhelming and chips which were ok and we paid for this upon them delivering the food to our room - AS WE HAD OPTED FOR PAY AS YOU GO AND WE HONOURED THIS AGREEMENT.

The pool on the 14th floor was clean and quiet. You can watch an incredible sunset there.

The pool by the beach had a few bird feathers in it but for the most part is kept clean. The lifeguards are amazing and super friendly; especially Muhammad Ali who we were grateful to have met and had some good conversations with. However, this pool and beach are shared with residents nearby and can get quite overpopulated and noisy - this is not ideal when you are hoping to have a relaxing and fun stay at a nice 5 star hotel (which this hotel is not).

Long and behold, we checked out of the hotel and later on that day were sent a hefty bill for the minibar. Upon explaining the situation to the staff, Daria has communicated with us but failed to investigate fully why her staff did not remove the alcohol from the mini fridge when they clearly knew our preference was pay as you go. The hotel unfortunately DID NOT HONOUR THIS AGREEMENT.

We are deeply regretful we chose this hotel for our stay. What we hoped would be a lovely summer holiday and celebration of our anniversary has left a sour taste in our mouth. I would 100% NOT recommend this hotel unless you want stress, the staff to bump you and bump you again out of your hard earned money. The facilities, service, food, rooms or location do not match a 5...

My husband and I had such a pleasurable stay at the new Andaz hotel on the Palm Jumeirah. We frequently stay at the Andaz hotel on 5th Avenue in our home of NYC and were really excited to stay at another branch of Hyatt’s ultra modern chain.

The most noticeable part of the hotel is design and architecture. It is a true 10/10 and probably the best design I’ve ever seen in a hotel. We stayed in an Executive Suite and the room was huge and could very easily fit 4-5 people. The rest of the hotel is just breathtaking. The Andaz lounge on the mezzanine is so quirky and colorful, and overlooks the hotel restaurant Locale. The outdoor terrace overlooking the gardens and beach is so tranquil. And the cabana pool on the 14th floor is an architectural marvel.

A standout is the hotel’s focus on sustainability. They have completely eliminated all single use plastic. There are no plastic toiletries and the single use toiletries are all made from recyclable materials. Even the keycards are made of wood instead of plastic! This was a lovely touch.

The fitness facility has everything you need. We were able to get out workouts in and really enjoyed stretching on the large yoga terrace. Hotel guests get free access to the spa saunas and locker rooms which was a great perk. The Ora Spa was lovely and our technicians Sara and Toli were top notch and always greeted us when seeing us around the hotel.

We came to the UAE for our honeymoon and the hotel greeted us with a delicious cake that was waiting for us in the room. The service was top notch and everyone was very friendly and accommodating. Standouts were the bartenders at the Lounge and Cabana pool. We would go back just for them! Everyone was focused on getting feedback and many senior people came up to us to ask us how they could improve since the hotel opened 3 weeks ago. We really appreciated that. Lastly you are greeted with a beach bag filled with wicker hats and flip flops that you get to keep!

The food is absolutely amazing. Hassan, who curates then breakfast selection at Locale, has done a wonderful job providing options to please a global cliental. Everything from Western breakfast classics to a custom egg station to Asian delights were available. The breakfast also changed daily. The chef for the dinner service was so friendly and chatted with us about his inspiration for the menu. It is a wonderful mix of western and eastern classics and honestly was so just so good!! We ate there almost every night.

Of course there were some issues with this being a newly opened hotel but the comment below is way too harsh. Come on - it just opened! Regarding the WiFi, we told the front desk and a technician came immediately and fixed it. Maybe it’s because we were in a suite but no issues after we called reception. Re: beach club - the hotel purchased it from the neighboring residences and they are planning on building a new beach club during the slow season. Yay! That being said, the residents of the residences next door are still allowed to use the beach and pool so there are many children and parents there at all times. I would recommend using the cabana on the 14th floor which was truly an oasis and rarely 50% full! The only feedback we would give is for Hyatt corporate to let guests know beforehand what is not available at this point in the hotel. For the sake of an honest review, I’ll let you know here: beach club issues as described above; Hanami, the Japanese restaurant on the 15th floor is not yet open; the ORA spa does not have all the treatments available yet; initially not everything was available on the drinks menu but the bartenders were amazing and literally searched the hotel for ingredients for us. We just wish Hyatt corporate had said something on the website. We wouldn’t take a star away from this because that has nothing to do with the level of service we experienced at this hotel.

Overall, lovely addition to the palm and we...

Disappointed Return Stay – Noticeable Decline in Service

We previously stayed at Andaz Dubai The Palm in October and were impressed enough with the service and standards to book a return visit. Sadly, our recent stay did not live up to expectations, and it’s clear that staff training and overall attention to service have significantly slipped over the past six months.

Check-In Experience: Upon arriving, approx 20:30 - 21:00 PM, we were informed that our half-board package would only begin the following day. We were told we would have received dinner had we arrived at 3 PM—but not at 20:30 PM. This logic simply doesn’t make sense. The package was sold to us as half board, not one night room-only followed by half board. Only after we raised the issue did a manager offer a small credit toward room service. In most international hotels, half board starts with dinner on the day of arrival and ends with breakfast on departure. The handling here felt inconsistent and unclear.

Bell Service: One evening, we asked a bell attendant to arrange a taxi. He acknowledged the request but failed to follow through. After waiting over 10 minutes, a second staff member suggested we use Uber instead. He then asked us to check the fare and claimed they could match it using the hotel’s car at the front. Once we got in, we were informed the fare was actually higher. We got out and ordered our own Uber. The entire situation could have been avoided with better communication and follow-through.

Pool Area and Towels: For the first eight days, we have been collecting pool towels from La Coco without issue. Yet for the last day, a staff member told us this had never been the case and directed us to reception instead—a completely unnecessary trek in over 35°C heat. With several buildings adjacent to the pool, this change felt both illogical and poorly managed.

Lifeguards: There are plenty of lifeguards on duty, but many appear disengaged and frequently distracted by their mobile phones. This is concerning, especially around a busy pool area.

Pool: The central island in the pool has a noticeable line of green slime around the waterline, and the pool floor and lower side walls are covered with significant debris/dirt—both of which raise concerns about the overall maintenance and cleaning standards. The regular water quality testing is important, but it should be accompanied by consistent physical cleaning to ensure a hygienic and safe swimming environment. Something we have not seen once since arriving.

Dining: The food quality and variety throughout the hotel’s restaurants is very good. Staff in The Locale deserve special mention—they’re attentive, friendly, and provide excellent service, consistently enhancing the dining experience.

Housekeeping: Housekeeping remains a strong point. Our suite has been kept immaculate each day, with excellent attention to cleanliness and detail.

At most international hotels, it’s common to see the manager and their team conducting regular walkarounds to ensure that high standards are consistently maintained. Unfortunately, we did not observe this during our stay, which may partly explain the noticeable and significant decline in overall service and quality. The only time we did see a manager/supervisor, this was in Locale and she was texting on her own personal phone rather than ensuring guests were dealt with as a priority.

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Overall Verdict: The hotel itself is of a good standard, with strong facilities, good food, and a standout housekeeping team. However, the overall service has noticeably declined since our last visit, and many staff interactions lacked the professionalism we previously experienced. We would consider staying again, but unlike this time—where we rebooked immediately—we’ll now be looking at other local hotel options as well before...