Update, October 2026: this is now a Hilton
Al Habtoor City’s hotels left Marriott on July 31, 2018 (LoyaltyLobby), and this Westin became Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City (The National, August 1, 2018), so SPG Platinum benefits like the ones we got no longer apply here; it’s a Hilton Honors hotel now. Everything below is from our 2016 stay.
Names have changed since this was written
- Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Starpoints → Marriott Bonvoy points (February 2019)
- Marriott Suite Night Awards → Nightly Upgrade Awards (January 2024)
- Hyatt Gold Passport → World of Hyatt, and Diamond status → Globalist (March 2017)
- Hilton HHonors → Hilton Honors (2017)
- Mlife → MGM Rewards (February 2022)
- Total Rewards → Caesars Rewards (February 2019)
- Club Carlson → Radisson Rewards; in the Americas it was folded into Choice Privileges (July 2023)
- Citi ThankYou Premier → Citi Strata Premier
- Alaska Mileage Plan → Atmos Rewards (August 2025)
- Barclaycard Arrival Plus → discontinued (June 2019)
- Amex Bluebird and Serve → closed (June 2026)
My $100K honeymoon on points and miles (2016)
Our flight from San Francisco landed in the evening, so we took an Uber straight to our hotel. The area (Al Habtoor City) is brand new with several hotels including a St. Regis, The Westin, and the W Hotel in addition to residential towers. It was so new that Google Maps (and Uber) did not have the correct location on the maps. It got us to the W at least, who were able to direct us around the corner to the entrance of The Westin.
Check-in was quick and simple, and we were happy to find out we were upgraded to a suite. Before we went up to our room, I snapped a few pictures of the lobby, which was nicely decorated.
The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City – Lobby
The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City – My Suite
The room was better than I could have hoped, with 1.5 bathrooms, a nice living area, walk-in closet, and amazing touches for us on our honeymoon. We received welcome gifts including a box of chocolates and nuts, fruit basket, one cake (and later we were brought another identical cake, which I believe was a mistake), 3 cards, and beautiful flowers around the rooms.
The bathroom was also very well-appointed, with even more flowers. The one thing I found odd was in the toilet room. There was a recessed area in the wall that seemed unfinished, as if it should have been tiled. Since the hotel just opened, I suspect it was just a minor detail that was overlooked.
There was also a large walk-in closet in the bedroom. It was larger than it needed to be, in my opinion.
The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City – Breakfast Buffet
As an SPG Platinum member, I was entitled to complimentary breakfast at the breakfast buffet. And boy, was this a great buffet. The breakfast area itself was huge, and there were tons of options that all looked great. Most of the food I tried was quite good.
The seating areas were also very nice. There were some areas that were almost like private dining rooms, which would be great if you’re with your family. There were views of the Burj Khalifa, but they were through dirty windows as there was a construction site just across the hotel. I’m not sure there will be much of a view once that construction is completed.
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City – Summary
We were here for a total of 3 nights, and I think it was a fantastic choice for a hotel. The location, while not next to anything in particular, was close enough to all the major sites that it was a quick Uber away. While it was difficult to find, once we got in we were very impressed. From the look of the lobby, to the suite we were upgraded to, to the special gifts we received, to the amazing breakfast buffet…everything was as good as I could have hoped.
I would absolutely recommend this hotel if you had a stay in Dubai and are loyal to SPG. Your choices in this city are plentiful, and there are definitely other great choices as well. The Westin isn’t a high-end brand, but we received high-end treatment as guests there.
← Previous: IMG Worlds of Adventure
