The Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates celebrates its 10th anniversary this month following a Dh368 million ($100 million) transformation.
The renovation began in 2013 with the lobby and finished with the relaunch of the redesigned luxury Aspen chalets.I had the opportunity to spend a night in one of the new refurbished corner suites recently with my family and can attest that the new look is both elegant and modern.I was welcomed by a smiling helpful valet. At check-in, another friendly face apologised for keeping me waiting for what was only a few minutes while he finished with another guest and had me checked in within minutes. He courteously told me how to access the wi-fi.Entering our 90-sq-m suite, I was surprised by the spacious dining room leading to the extra guest bathroom, then into an office/meeting room area. The living room and bedroom and full bathroom are round the corner, providing a more private setting for the rest of the suite. There are coffee- and tea-making facilities and two flatscreen TVs (one in the bedroom and the other in the dining room) which worked great for us as I have an insomniac husband, who could have coffee and watch the news all night leaving my daughter and I to sleep! Being on a corner, the room provided great views of the city. The hotel offers 373 guest rooms and suites, ranging from superior, deluxe, grand deluxe and executive grand deluxe rooms to executive, corner, executive tower and presidential suites. In addition, the 20 ski chalets are a hotel within a hotel! All rooms are equipped with large plasma flatscreen TVs, DVDs and multimedia players. They also offer free wi-fi. Guests staying in the suites enjoy a complimentary welcome drink, access to the executive lounge where they can check in and check out, have breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea and evening drinks. Following the renovation, all rooms have been equipped with the latest smart technology via an iPad with which guests can control the television, order room service, make restaurants reservations, book spa treatments and access the Mall of the Emirates’s information and promotions. I didn’t actually have the opportunity to play with this facility, but my husband checked it out and confirmed it is state of the art. All of the restaurants have also been renovated and rebranded. We had dinner at Olea, offering ‘Levantine’ cuisine. I had not heard this term before, but as it indicates, it is cuisine from all over the Levant from Lebanon, Syria or Jordan. The food was amazing – some of the best Arabic food my family has ever had in Dubai. The maître d’ and other staff of the restaurant were friendly, attentive and the food was delivered amazingly quickly with fresh, hot bread. As the weather was so lovely – we sat outside. The restaurant, being located by the poolside, added to the ambiance and enjoyment of the evening. Afterwards, we headed for a nightcap at the 1920-themed Noir cocktail lounge. The lounge also has an outdoor terrace perfect for this time of the year. Olea is also where breakfast is served. Breakfast offered a wide variety from Western to Asian and Arab favourites. Anyone who has pancakes cooked fresh wins over my daughter’s heart! Another newly themed restaurant is the Spanish Salero Tapas & Boedga which offers authentic tapas, paellas and fresh seafood specialties. With its fresh new look, varied F&B offerings, and shopping with all the leading brands at one’s doorstep, the hotel is ideal for the new trends in travel – from shopping tourism, family travelling including multi-generational travel and the next Generation Z.By Kim Thomson