Millennium Central Downtown — Hotel in Dubai

Here in Dubai on business. Booking.com offered a really good deal on this hotel but reality was very disappointing. At check-in I was told I needed to show proof of my booking as my passport stated Anthony and my booking stated Tony. That was a first in 35 years of business travel and not ideal at 0130 after a 7+ hour flight. Room was old, dog-eared and tired, especially the bathroom and TV (no UK channels). Also a little small and missing the promised coffee machine (I suspect this was not the level of room I booked) plus the AC was noisier than the aircraft in which I flew over. The hotel moved me to a quieter room, with a coffee machine, the next day, which was good of them. Here for six nights/seven days thus needed some laundry. It took four members of the reception team to decide if the promise of ‘drop the laundry before 0900, it’s returned by 1800’ was actually correct and achievable, even though it was printed on the laundry form - it was as if I was asking for free Champagne rather than just my shirt and socks laundered. Staff had to ‘check my clothes’ before they could agree, plus wanted payment up front (another first). The laundry was not delivered back as promised and I had to chase housekeeping. This happened twice. Towels were old and thin, toiletries v.basic, mirror was tarnished, toilet seat and sink plug were broken, and one had to move around in the shower to get wet. A surprising issue was the promised 20% discount on food and drink, as part of my Booking.com deal. No one in the hotel knew anything about it, I emailed the hotel GM, he delegated to the Ops. Director, most of my mails went unanswered. There were also issues around the fact that I did not pay an incidentals deposit when checking in - every time I tried to sign for a drink, or a meal (or laundry), a credit card machine was thrust in my face. When I pointed out that the receptionist did not ask for a deposit, I was told, by the OPs. Director, that I should have proactively offered! It did not seem to matter that I paid in full, and in advance for my stay. When I did attempt to pay this deposit I was told I had to pay cash - which international hotel asks for a cash deposit, in 2025?! As the debate about the 20% discount carried on, my room key mysteriously stopped working, twice, and the housekeeping staff were instructed, by text, not to clean my room - all a little petty and underhand. The hotel then said they would honour the 20% discount, but not on alcohol, which was not the deal, but on the last day a helpful young duty manager relented and honoured the discount as booked on Booking.com - 20% of all food and drink which was a great deal. A lot of hassle and heartache for something which was promised in writing. Have to say, the pool bar staff were great, as was the food at the same location, the housekeeping staff were great, and the stay was cheap. The hotel is also conveniently located. However, this is an old, tired hotel with a management team who do not appear to care about their customers. I will certainly not return and would suggest there are other, much better hotels in the area. Finally, trying to contact Booking.com about the discount issue was a nightmare. They seem more interested in telling me how busy they are, and asking for my details, myriad times,...

The hotel has a great location, just 1.5 km from Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. Additionally, they offer a free daily shuttle service to the beach, with both round-trip transport included, which is a very convenient feature.

The hotel’s breakfast is a varied buffet, with options like cereals, pastries, and a made-to-order omelet station where you can customize it with your choice of ingredients. There are also fresh fruit juices like orange, pineapple, and apple, as well as fruit and cucumber-infused water. The food changes daily, which is a nice touch.

The reception service is very proactive, friendly, and professional, contributing to a pleasant experience. However, the cleaning of the rooms was a downside. Although the rooms were generally fine, there were several oversights regarding towel replacement, which occurred every day during our stay. Additionally, I found dirt under the beds, such as candy and chocolate wrappers, showing a lack of deep cleaning. The windows of the large windows also appeared to be dirty, which dimmed the otherwise stunning views of the city’s skyscrapers. If the windows were properly maintained, the views would be much more impressive.

It’s worth noting that some services within the hotel, such as the spa and clubs, are not included in the hotel’s amenities, despite being within the premises.

As for dining, the tequila bar offers delicious pizzas, particularly the one with salmon and shrimp, highly recommended. They use Focaccia bread for the pizza base, which gives it a unique flavor.

One of the most negative aspects of our stay was the taxi service. The taxi supervisor offered us what seemed like a fair fare to Dubai Mall, but when we tried to share the ride with another guest to save money, they charged us all the same price, 50 dirhams per person. This type of practice is not only illogical but seems like an attempt to take advantage of guests. The situation was unpleasant and affected the hotel’s image, which should ensure that the taxi service is better regulated.

In summary, the hotel has great advantages such as its location, the breakfast service, and some amenities, but there are areas for improvement, especially in room cleanliness and taxi service. I offer this as constructive criticism, hoping that the hotel continues to improve in order to provide an even better experience...

Right, the only real highlight was the amazing cleaning staff who did a great job of cleaning the rooms and preparing the wonderful towels shaped as a swan, a heart and even a teddy bear! was so lovely to see when coming back to the hotel.

Right, so we were in room 2302, placed in a connection room. Was going good until a very loud silly family was placed in the other connecting room. Arrogant and rude family, who has no respect for those who wake up on time. i called security and the family never went quiet. Continued to play loud arabic music and sing even louder. Hotel offered to change rooms however had 1 night left and didnt want to pack everything. Family still very loud. I mentioned this during checkout and the staff said 'oh thats funny they mentioned that i made noise' - which was very unprofessional and silly to mention. This was an extremely immature family who winded me up, the staff and security. More should of been done to make them quiet. There was no issues with the person who was in that room before, so not sure why the front staff mentioned this when they were clearly the issue as soon as they moved in. i can bet you a million quid the next person to check in is going to have an awful night.

Wasnt happy that a double bed given even though we expected a twin room.

Your basically paying for a great view (although dirty window ruins this) and location.

There is NO balcony and NO smart TV (very bad old TV with just hotel info on the screen).

OH and the curtains are CRAP, they dont touch the floor so all the lights comes through. very bad when a good amount of people have very different sleep schedules in Dubai.

Theres NO WAY this place is a 4 star hotel, biggest joke of the year. I've stayed at 2 star hotels which has been x100 better then this place. Something very off.

The coffee place is a rip off, charging £10/50aed for a caramel coffee. Joke.

Would never go there again, id only go to tip the cleaning staff who deserve to work somewhere better where they are...