Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort, Vignette Collection, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Dubai

The hotel is lovely and clean, I enjoyed the stay but it wasn’t without issues that caused unnecessary stress and were avoidable. Communication within the hotel and travel agent and staff wasn’t great.||Upon arrival very late at night and into the morning we arrived to a nice welcome at reception but to be told we owed 4000 for our hotel room, we booked via BA and this was a package holiday. We had paid to them and them to the hotel. They argued as it was American Express and my card didn’t match it we needed to pay again. I’ve never heard of anything like it. We of course refused and this appeared to be resolved (we were informed of this days later). ||We proceeded to our room and no bed was ready for the kids, now 2am and we are exhausted and waiting on it to be set up. ||The next day upon showering it wasn’t draining and we basically had to stand in ankle high dirty water when showering until someone could come to sort it. They did fix it. We also requested an extra towel, 3 given for 4 people. This took 3 trips to reception and over an hour to be given. We asked if we could go get one ourselves somewhere in the end. ||After a day at the pool, we paid all our bills daily at the time. We had a call to our room and a knock on the door claiming we didn’t settle a 250 bill for drinks and food. We had to again go to reception and show our bank transactions which they had no note of on the system and we don’t know it this was a ever rectified to this day but we assume it was.||On the Friday we were asked to leave the main pool as kids can’t be there Friday to Sunday. They have a kids pool and my kids are 12/16. I accept that’s the rule however at check in we were told it was Saturday and Sunday only. A member of staff agreed with us and security argued back and forth we had to leave. The main pool has music and a bar and is good vibe and the kids pool is as you can imagine of a kids pool. Again disappointing and management eventually told us we could stay as security weren’t correct. I do feel guests should have priority over pool time to people booking on a weekend and won’t book again for this reason as Fridays are soon to be implemented as adults only too and probably a matter of time until it’s everyday. ||Upon check out I had a feeling the room payment would arise again and it did. I apparently owed 700 night for one night of the stay as it was a hold on the card and drops off. Again explained it wasn’t my card and BA dealt with the payments them and they took it off the bill. Again at 5am and not a nice way to start or end a holiday. ||As much as we loved the hotel and resort/pool I don’t think we will book again as the issues were stressful and I spent time worried and anxious about it all instead of enjoying my holiday. Better communication and dealings with travel agents are required. It was not what I expected for our first trip to Dubai after all the amazing reviews I have heard from family and friends...

I would like to share my experience during the IHG Middle East Showcase, which, unfortunately, was not pleasant. While I am reluctant to bring this up, I believe in providing constructive feedback and hope it helps improve your service in the future.

Overcharge on Room Rate

Upon arrival, I discovered that my room rate was overcharged compared to my original reservation. Fortunately, I had printed my confirmation letter; otherwise, I would have been overcharged by AED 6,000 for my stay. When I inquired about the discrepancy, I did not receive a clear or professional explanation. I was simply told that it was caused by "Holidex," without further clarification. As a guest, I would not be expected to know what Holidex is or why it resulted in an overcharge. Eventually, after presenting my confirmation, the correct rate was honored.

Lack of Basic Amenities & IHG Recognition

Upon entering my room, I noticed that there were no slippers or welcome amenities, despite being an IHG One Rewards member. While I understand that mistakes can happen, I called Housekeeping to request slippers and was met with an unexpected response—they asked me whether the Front Office had provided them. This was not the service I expected. After insisting, they eventually delivered two pairs to my room.

Misplaced Welcome Amenities

My colleague, Shitori-san from Japan, informed me that my welcome amenities and card had been mistakenly delivered to her room. She reported this to the Front Office the next morning, but instead of investigating, she was incorrectly told that the amenities had been delivered to me as intended. This response was disappointing. If the hotel did not intend to provide welcome amenities, I would have understood. However, given that my colleague brought up the issue, a proper check should have been conducted before claiming otherwise. This also made me question whether my colleague received the welcome amenities that were meant for her.

Room Service Payment Issue

On my second night, after attending the IHG event, I attempted to order room service but was told that I could not charge it to my room and had to pay by cash or credit card. This was surprising since no deposit was requested at check-in, and I had explicitly mentioned that I would settle my bill upon checkout, including any room service charges. Despite this, my request was denied. To make matters worse, the staff member hung up the phone before our conversation was finished, which left me frustrated. As an IHG colleague attending an IHG event at your hotel, I found it unreasonable to be treated with such distrust.

I am sharing this feedback not to criticize but to highlight areas for improvement. I hope my experience helps in refining your service standards to better serve...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unforgettable experience – absolutely outstanding!

I visited Bekalis on The Palm with my wife and child, and honestly – experiences like this are extremely rare. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with genuine smiles and warmth that immediately made us feel at home.

The service was on a completely different level – friendly, caring, and incredibly professional. I have to give a special mention to Jamir, who is without question one of the best waiters I’ve ever met in my life. He was attentive, polite, always one step ahead, and truly passionate about what he does. It felt like he could read our minds – everything we needed, he anticipated before we even asked.

Jamir was simply world-class! If I could give 110 points out of 100, I absolutely would. I’ve visited countless restaurants around the world, but I’ve never come across someone so genuinely dedicated, humble, and professional.

Paola was also wonderful – kind, helpful, and made sure our family was comfortable the entire time. The whole team radiated warmth and positivity, and the way they treated our child was beyond impressive. Bekalis is one of the most family-friendly restaurants we’ve ever been to – they truly make children feel welcome, not just tolerated.

And then came the surprise: the chef himself came to our table at the end of the meal to personally ask how everything was. Where else do you see that nowadays? We didn’t book a private chef, but that’s exactly how it felt. This is genuine hospitality – from the heart.

The food itself was absolutely delicious – fresh, perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented, and made with care and passion that you could taste in every bite. From the atmosphere to the smallest details, everything was simply perfect.

I usually don’t write reviews, but when something truly blows me away, I make an exception. Today was one of those moments. This place absolutely deserves every single five-star review and more.

Final thought: If you’re in Dubai, Bekalis is an absolute must-visit – especially for families. Exceptional food, extraordinary service, and people who truly care about their guests.

A huge thank-you to the entire team – and an extra-special shout-out to Jamir. Please never change – you’re doing your job perfectly!

Highly recommended – we will definitely...