Pros
- Overlooking Dubai Creek, a 10-minute drive from airport
- Creek views from most rooms and common areas
- Long, heated swimming pool
- Fresh, contemporary rooms with free-standing tubs
- Michelin-starred dining and deluxe champagne bar
- Luxurious spa with saunas and steam baths
Cons
- Nearby construction noisy and disruptive
- Removed from beaches and main tourist attractions
Bottom Line
The InterContinental Dubai Festival City is a high-end, luxury chain hotel that's impressive in scale, sophistication, and facilities. The location overlooking Dubai Creek with direct access to Festival City will be ideal for some, but tourists wanting to be near the beach and the main attractions might find it inconvenient. However, Michelin-starred dining, a luxurious spa, and chic, spacious rooms makes this hotel a strong contender for anyone looking for a seriously upscale stay near the airport.
Hotel & Amenities Photos
Amenities
- Fitness Center
- Internet
- Jacuzzi
- Pool
- Spa
Oyster Awards
Scene
Imposing scale and chic refinement in distinctive, sailboat-inspired architecture
With modern architecture inspired by a sailboat, the enormous InterContinental Dubai Festival City is striking in both scale and design. The cavernous lobby is no less impressive, with huge polished-stone pillars and sleek marble reception desks. The ambience is high-end and adult, though with enough chic touches -- vibrant modern artwork, contemporary-style chandeliers, and undulating wood-slate corridors -- to keep it from feeling stuffy or overly formal. That said, the hotel's refined and serene atmosphere isn't suitable for families with young noisy kids, and most guests here are either wealthy tourists or business travelers with hefty expense accounts.
Location
Part of the Festival City complex overlooking Dubai Creek, near the airport
The hotel is part of Dubai's Festival City complex, which consists of retail, office, and leisure facilities positioned on the eastern shore of Dubai Creek. The Intercontinental sits adjacent to its sister hotel -- the Crowne Plaza -- and next to a large shopping center that is currently undergoing expansion (which comes with inevitable noise and disruption). There's not much within walking distance aside from an adjacent mall, and while the airport is only 10 minutes away by car, the hotel is removed from most of Dubai's main tourist attractions.
Rooms
First-class amenities and large windows, some with creek views, others overlooking construction
The InterContinental has over 500 rooms -- including over 120 suites -- all of which are pleasantly decorated with fresh and contemporary, yet homey and welcoming, interiors. Standard amenities include free and fast Wi-Fi, iPod docks, and large flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, DVD players, and pay-per-view movies. Bathrooms all include free-standing tubs -- some with city views -- in separate wet rooms with fixed and moveable showers and high-end toiletries. Large windows also provide plenty of natural light and some have views over Dubai Creek -- though others look straight over a construction site expanding the mall next door.
Features
Michelin-starred dining and outstanding pool and spa facilities
The health and fitness facilities are particularly good at the InterContinental, the highlight of which is a temperature-controlled swimming pool with an overhanging glass floor section and views over the creek. The luxurious spa is also impressive -- with saunas, steam baths, and great views from its 10 treatment rooms -- while the gym features a good variety of modern fitness equipment. Dining is also a real draw, and the hotel has four restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire. The Eclipse Champagne bar offers an opulent experience, with dizzyingly high views in a sophisticated -- and suitably-expensive -- setting.
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Scene
Imposing scale and chic refinement in distinctive, sailboat-inspired architecture
With modern architecture inspired by a sailboat, the enormous InterContinental Dubai Festival City is striking in both scale and design. The cavernous lobby is no less impressive, with huge polished-stone pillars and sleek marble reception desks. The ambience is high-end and adult, though with enough chic touches -- vibrant modern artwork, contemporary-style chandeliers, and undulating wood-slate corridors -- to keep it from feeling stuffy or overly formal. That said, the hotel's refined and serene atmosphere isn't suitable for families with young noisy kids, and most guests here are either wealthy tourists or business travelers with hefty expense accounts.
Location
Part of the Festival City complex overlooking Dubai Creek, near the airport
The hotel is part of Dubai's Festival City complex, which consists of retail, office, and leisure facilities positioned on the eastern shore of Dubai Creek. The Intercontinental sits adjacent to its sister hotel -- the Crowne Plaza -- and next to a large shopping center that is currently undergoing expansion (which comes with inevitable noise and disruption). There's not much within walking distance aside from an adjacent mall, and while the airport is only 10 minutes away by car, the hotel is removed from most of Dubai's main tourist attractions.
Rooms
First-class amenities and large windows, some with creek views, others overlooking construction
The InterContinental has over 500 rooms -- including over 120 suites -- all of which are pleasantly decorated with fresh and contemporary, yet homey and welcoming, interiors. Standard amenities include free and fast Wi-Fi, iPod docks, and large flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, DVD players, and pay-per-view movies. Bathrooms all include free-standing tubs -- some with city views -- in separate wet rooms with fixed and moveable showers and high-end toiletries. Large windows also provide plenty of natural light and some have views over Dubai Creek -- though others look straight over a construction site expanding the mall next door.
Features
Michelin-starred dining and outstanding pool and spa facilities
The health and fitness facilities are particularly good at the InterContinental, the highlight of which is a temperature-controlled swimming pool with an overhanging glass floor section and views over the creek. The luxurious spa is also impressive -- with saunas, steam baths, and great views from its 10 treatment rooms -- while the gym features a good variety of modern fitness equipment. Dining is also a real draw, and the hotel has four restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire. The Eclipse Champagne bar offers an opulent experience, with dizzyingly high views in a sophisticated -- and suitably-expensive -- setting.
Hotel & Amenities Photos
Best Rates
Amenities
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Air Conditioner
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Airport Transportation
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Babysitting Services
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Beauty / Hair Salon
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Business Center
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Cabanas
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Cable
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Concierge
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Dry Cleaning
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Fitness Center
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Golf Course
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Internet
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Jacuzzi
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Kids Allowed
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Laundry
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Meeting / Conference Rooms
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Mini Bar (with liquor)
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Pool
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Poolside Drink Service
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Rental Car Service Desk Onsite
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Room Service
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Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space
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Smoking Rooms Available
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Spa
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.