This is a very decent business hotel fairly close to the airport in Dubai. I arrived at 8am after an overnight flight and the courteous check-in staff made every effort to allow me to have a room straight away. The room is just what I expect from a Marriott hotel - spotlessly clean, fairly spacious and with a very comfortable bed. Two bottles of water are offered with the hotel's compliments each day. Another pleasant factor was the good water pressure in the shower, always a plus. I had to change rooms owing to some nearby noise on day 1 but again the staff were more than happy to help and a quieter room was found within half an hour. It probably would have been faster still had I not asked to change at midday, when many rooms are still being cleaned. Brunch at the Spice Island restaurant was very filling: 121 dirhams for all the food I could eat including Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Lebanese and sushi plus good lentil soup and flatbread, some great desserts and an endless supply of various fruit juices and mineral water. Great if you're hungry which I certainly was and pretty good quality food as well. The swimming pool area (4th floor) was very well looked after and quite a comfortable place to spend an afternoon. The bars (Harry's Place & Tiki Bar) close at 2am but serve last orders at 1.30am. Both are fine but neither is particularly interesting and better locations are to be found elsewhere in Dubai. Meanwhile there is a new shopping mall 5 minutes walk down the street and next to it is Marks & Spencer. A taxi ride to the considerably larger City Centre Shopping was only about 10 dirhams - beware when getting cabs from this mall when you have done your shopping, however, as there is only one place to get them and often quite a long queue. Slightly classier hotels in Dubai carry even higher price tags than the Renaissance (seemingly no hotel in Dubai has rates for the budget traveller) but this one is perfectly adequate with pleasant staff and its location makes getting to the airport a relatively short journey in the morning. Full marks.












