Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Met family here who were staying for 14 nights and we stayed for 10 nights at the end of June into July. This is our 6th time visiting Dubai. First impressions were good on arrival we were greeted by Sunil who swiftly sorted our luggage and took us straight to the Club to check in & have breakfast after our night flight. Sarah then came though to the lounge with an iPad to do the mandatory check in. She was not welcoming at all her and her attitude and demeanour was that she did not want to be there. Our room was not ready which was fine as it was 11am and check in was not until 3pm although she did say it will be ready soon and that we would get a call. As our family were there we just went to their room. Our room was allocated not long after and the room attendant found us in my daughters room with the key to ours. The rooms were large but dark and dated. There was a huge bath that the whole family could fit in along with the shower etc. Things like a mirror missing from the wall where the vanity unit was and nails protruding through the wooden floor as you went out to the balcony which we didn???t see until my husband stood on them barefooted let the hotel down too. There is a WhatsApp messaging servicing you can use and we reported this via WhatsApp. We were asked if we needed any paramedic assistance which we did not. Someone came to see the nails & they were not fixed properly. The aesthetics that could potentially be dangerous especially to children go unnoticed. The hotel overall lacks a customer facing focus. The hotel is due to start a refurbishment soon & this I???m sure will be welcomed by future guests. I???m so glad we didn???t pay the ??4,000 we were quoted for an upgrade for all of us! On one of the evenings when entering the club lounge Sarah was down right rude to my son in law for wearing open toe shoes saying he had already been told about this, which he had not been! Meanwhile every other man had open toe shoes on in the club with the exception of one couple! There was an area that said no children but children were allowed in and that was on the days when there was plenty seats outside this area. I think it was a case of, if your face fitted! Sarah???s behaviour was reported to her boss Mutha & she did apologise but by now the damage was done. Ali the Trainee who was not employed by the hotel was the most sociable helpful and welcoming of the staff. Sishi, Ganesh, Alex & Maia were the friendlier of the staff employed by the hotel. For us normally building relationships with the staff helps to make our holiday but, sadly in this hotel there were too many who clearly did not want to be there! The pool area is well kept & the staff constantly work hard bringing round facial water spritz, face cloths, water in cooler bags filled with ice, ice lollies and sun glass cleaning. This is all complimentary. There are a few shops in the hotel which are nice to browse if you want out of the heat. You can buy the souvenirs cheaper outwith the hotel. The Talise Spa is fabulous. My daughter & I had a hammam and full body massage, the staff were lovely. There???s an indoor pool, snow room as well as the steam room & sauna. The ginger tea provided was lovely too. We enjoyed the Dine Around option. In the hotel we ate at Al Nafoorah Lebanese, Amala Indian & Tori Tori Japanese. On our last night we booked the Japanese and the only option for times was 6:30 pm or 9 pm. We asked for 7:30/8pm as we wanted to spend our last few hours with our family before they went out. We were advised there were no other times available. You can imagine our utter disappointment when we arrived at the restaurant and there were only 4 tables taken and throughout our 2 hours of dining only another 2 were taken by the time we left. This left us extremely annoyed! We also went out to the Pai Thai, Trattoria and Dhow & Anchor where we had the Sunday roast here which was bland there was no flavour in the gravy & we had to ask for desserts and ask more than twice for the bill. We found that the service in most restaurants with the exception of Trattoria was slow. I don???t know if this is a Jumeriah wide issue. On checking out we went to settle the bill the evening before & were asked how our stay was & would we return. At this point we explained why we wouldn???t return and the reception staff asked if we would like to speak to a manager so we did as there???s no point in coming on here and not bringing it to the managements attention. Ramy took the time to speak to us and already knew of the issues we had with Sarah & with the room and was apologetic for this. He knew himself whilst the WhatsApp was a good tool it was not as personal as speaking to a person. As a gift Ramy deducted 700 dirhams (c??140) off our total bill which we were not looking for and told him we would sooner have had the service and experience we have had in other hotels than a monetary gesture. Overall we found the staff to be unwelcoming and the hotel itself is too far away for getting off the Palm as it???s round at the end of the west crescent. We only came to this hotel as our family were here and we would not return or recommend this hotel due to the location and the unfriendliness of the staff. This is the first hotel we have stayed at in Dubai where we would not recommend anyone to visit. My husband has also updated our local travel agent of the issues as described above as she was interested in adding this hotel for her clients. She will not be doing so now.

If I could give zero stars for rooms and service, I absolutely would. This was not my first stay at Zabeel Saray, but it will definitely be my last. What was once a luxurious and elegant hotel has now turned into a completely mismanaged and disappointing experience ??? one that honestly makes me question how this hotel is still operating under the label of a 5-star property. It began with our first room, which had a horrible smell coming from the AC ??? as if the filters hadn???t been cleaned in months. When we complained, instead of offering any kind of apology or solution, Mr. Rami rudely told us we could leave if we weren???t satisfied. I cannot express how disrespectful, dismissive, and unprofessional that response was ??? especially from hotel management. After much arguing, we were moved to another room, which was described as one of the best in the hotel. Yet, even there, we found ants crawling on the floor, highlighting just how low the hotel???s hygiene standards have dropped. It only got worse from there. While sitting in the buffet area, water was literally dripping from the ceiling above us ??? a disgusting and unsafe condition, especially in a dining space. And shockingly, while in the club lounge, we discovered an insect inside one of the cakes. This is absolutely revolting and raises serious concerns about food safety. Honestly, at this point, it wouldn???t be unreasonable for Dubai Municipality or health inspectors to look into this hotel???s hygiene and food handling practices. Even the breakfast menu was disappointing ??? it???s become very limited with barely any variety. It???s clear that the hotel is now catering almost exclusively to Western tastes, completely neglecting local and Arab cuisine, which is very disheartening given the hotel???s regional identity. But perhaps the most infuriating part of our stay was the behavior of the staff. Across the board ??? from the front desk to the lounge ??? we experienced unprofessional, slow, and downright disrespectful service. We were constantly asked for our room number, even after providing it multiple times. The tone used by several staff members bordered on rude and made us feel like unwelcome strangers rather than paying guests. Simple requests took 30 minutes or more, and no one seemed to care about efficiency or guest experience. The staff lacked basic courtesy and hospitality ??? something that is shocking for a hotel of this supposed caliber. In summary, this was a deeply disappointing, unsanitary, and uncomfortable experience. We paid a premium price expecting 5-star service and got treatment and conditions that wouldn???t be acceptable at a 2-star motel. Zabeel Saray has clearly lost its standards, and unless there???s a complete overhaul in management, staff training, hygiene, and service delivery, it does not deserve to be labeled as a luxury property. I would strongly advise others to reconsider before booking here.

Outstanding Service Thanks to the exceptional service provided by the staff, particularly Hafiz, my stay at the hotel was flawless. He always went above and beyond to make guests feel welcome and was very kind and professional. His genuine kindness and attention to detail left a lasting impression. At the door, Chatura was also incredibly courteous and helpful, always smiling and willing to help. The bellhop, Iftikhar, handled everything with ease and efficiency. My experience was genuinely unique because of these three. Because of the excellent service, I heartily recommend this hotel!