DAMAC Maison Mall Street

The 43-story DAMAC Maison Mall Street is stylish and elegant throughout, though certainly not understated. Its double-height lobby oozes with gold -- it’s on the walls, floor, and furniture -- without proving gaudy. The design has lots of glossy marble, starkly geometric wall panels, and minimalist riffs on wingback armchairs. Leading off from the lobby is the hotel’s bar, which shares its decor with its neighbor. The hotel’s restaurant is decorated along similar lines to the lobby, although it’s a more sedate space with soft cream chairs, blond-wood panelling on the walls, and a bar clad in black granite. Unfortunately, its luxurious offerings don't distract from the bothersome construction surrounding the property (as of summer 2017). The hotel attracts crowds of shoppers looking to put their hard-earned cash to good use in the world’s largest mall next door. 

The DAMAC’s location is at once its selling point and its Achilles’ heel. On the one hand, it’s right next to the massive Dubai Mall, and a stone’s throw from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The Mall is home to an ice rink, multiplex cinema, and aquarium, as well as an unimaginable quantity of shops and restaurants, and the Burj Khalifa is set in a verdant park. But the area around it is still under construction, meaning that the hotel is in the middle of a big building site, and guests have complained that shifting access roads make it difficult to get to and from the hotel. Farther afield, Dubai Zoo is a 13-minute drive away, while the Jumeirah Mosque is 15 minutes away. Expect transfers to and from from Dubai International Airport to take approximately 17 minutes by car.

The 355 rooms at the DAMAC are all suites, with either one, two, or three separate bedrooms, and well-equipped kitchens. Their decor is calmer than downstairs, featuring whitewashed walls and touches of taupe and robin-egg blue fabric providing some color, and a feature wall with a burnished silver finish in the living room. However, the suites can feel somewhat cramped, especially the bedrooms, which try to fit a king-sized bed, armchair, and desk into a space that’s too small, and, in the case of rooms in the rounded corners of the building, an odd shape. That said, the living rooms of the suites with two and three bedrooms are far larger. Over in the open-plan kitchen and living room is a long couch and an armchair, decorated with throw pillows in shades of ivory and teal, a glass-topped dining table, and a breakfast bar with leather stools. Behind this is a well-equipped kitchen with a four-burner stove, oven, sink, toaster, microwave, and a full-size fridge, as well as the usual crockery and cookware. In a small utility room is an ironing board and a washing machine. Bathrooms have dual sinks, a deep soaking tub, and separate walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead built into the ceiling. All rooms have free Wi-Fi, a flatscreen TV, and a safe, plus bathrobe and toiletries. 

Features at DAMAC Maison Dubai Mall Street offer a good amount of recreation for guests. An opulently decorated spa has seven treatment rooms for various massages, facials, and wellness therapies, as well as a hot tub, sauna, and steam bath. In addition, there are a hair and nail salon, and a modern, well-equipped gym with cardio and strength-training machines and free weights. Outside is a pool terrace with a large lap pool and hot tub, plus loungers and umbrellas for shade. The only restaurant serves Saudi cuisine at a buffet breakfast, and an a la carte lunch and dinner. There are also a shisha (hookah) bar and room service. Western guests should be advised that this is a dry hotel and the bar does not serve alcoholic drinks (common in Dubai). The hotel offers a free, hourly shuttle bus to Dubai Mall. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.