BACKGROUND Four years in the making, there can be no denying that Capital Gate Tower – awarded the 'world's furthest leaning man-made tower' by the Guinness Book of World Records – is an architectural marvel and may well put Abu Dhabi on the global map, much like Burj Al Arab has for Dubai. Environmentally too, it strives to set new benchmarks. With the building leaning westwards at an 18-degree angle, the wind is channelled under the 'splash' exterior coating and spins around, cooling it by around 7 degrees. It also shields the building from the sun in the morning and early afternoon. Londoners will recognise some similarities with the 'Gherkin' building; each diamond section has 18 panes and each of those panes has two sheets of silver, which reflect the light and ensure guests can look out from their rooms. Curiously, the glass was built before the interiors, effectively acting as the shell that keeps it all up. Consequently, everything you see inside came up through the lifts, with the exception of the pool bar and olive tree on the 19th floor, which were taken up by crane. Reflecting its distinctive character, Hyatt felt the property didn't fit any of its normal categories, so Hyatt Capital Gate is its first independently branded property outside the US. A few hours after I checked out, HH Sheikh Mohammed visited and described it as a "new icon in the capital".
WHERE IS IT? Directly next to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), conference guests can come and go via a footpath and small staircase just outside Profiterole on the ground floor, and those who park their car in the multi-storey can gain access via a foobridge to the mezzanine level. Driving from Dubai, it was a straight-forward run down the highway, with a few twists and turns at the very end (left at the roundabout near ADNEC, first right at the lights and then u-turn at the end of the road, then right, along the back of the centre, and left after gate 3). It's easier than it sounds – since it's hard to miss the tower. There was ample space to valet park outside. With the Aloft Abu Dhabi nearby, ADNEC-visiting corporates now have more choice on site, and the competition will continue to rise with more hotels coming up - the 300-room Capital Centre Rotana is due to open in the third quarter.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? On entering the building, you're greeted by a large horizontal space, dominated by an opulent chandelier that took 29 days to hang the 1,699 pieces by hand. Immediately in front is a coffee area and cakes are displayed to the right, designed to evoke a hotel-like ambience; Profiteroles sells sweet and savoury cakes and is a new concept for Hyatt regionally – something a bit different from the ubiquitous cupcakes et al. Takeaways are available too. You take the lifts at the back up to the 18th floor – floors 2 to 16 are commercial offices, and Hyatt offices are on the 17th – where you'll find the hotel reception (left), The Lounge (straight ahead) and 18° restaurant (right). The reception area (below) is neat with iPad-like monitors providing hotel information, and a colourful chandelier hangs overhead, although at this stage, it doesn't offer iPad/internet check-in.
Some might not warm to the large x-shaped steel beams which, while painted an innocuous cream, are in full view besides reception and in front of The Lounge (you can catch a bit of them in the picture) – equally, the views from my room were somewhat obscured by the beams – but in some ways it works, reminding you of exactly where you are, and the engineering efforts it took to build it. You access the rooms on the floors above (20-32) through another set of lifts beyond reception; again, given the design, it wasn't feasible to have them running top to bottom, although apparently there are two service lifts which do run throughout.
ROOM FACILITIES I was booked into an executive suite (2212), at the end of the corridor – the floors are spacious enough, although I felt my neighbouring room's door was a bit close. The living room was modern corporate chic, with light brown walls/cupboards, silver desk chairs and curtains – which could be opened and closed by remote control – a circular dining table with four chairs, and large flatscreen, accompanied by blu-ray disc player and Bose sound system with two elevated speakers. The remote channel button was hard to work in the living room but worked fine in the bedroom.
The desk had plenty of sockets (PC/USB/HDMI) and I didn't have any trouble logging on with my iPad. Internet is free in the suites, but chargeable in the King/Twin rooms (AED30 an hour, AED55 a day). The teas and kettle were discreetly tucked away in the wall and all suite guests receive a box of chocs and bottle of wine. Walking through, the bedroom on the left had a free-standing TV, table and mirror to the left and the bed in the centre which was extremely comfortable. The room offered panoramic views of the water, highway and city skyscrapers in the distance. TVs are embedded into the walls in the King (98 rooms) and Twin (22) rooms) but hang on the walls in suites (there are 13 capital suites, 7 executive suites, one diplomatic suite and one presidential suite). The hotel also has 46 Deluxe King rooms and one Deluxe Twin.
Then for the best part. Hyatt believes the majority of business travellers' time is spent washing and grooming, so it's taken its bathrooms to a new spatial level. The vast shower (rainshower and separate shower contained), its glass etched with green reeds, probably redefines 'walk in' and alongside the separate toilet and two sinks/large mirror is an infinity bath with TV on the wall. Generous 120ml bottles of bath products were available (June Jacobs Spa Collection) - you could certainly smell the grapefruit in the shower gel. The only downside was, no matter how many different times I pressed the buttons on the end of the bath, I couldn't get the jacuzzi jets to work, nor work out how to get the basics of piping hot water (I found out later that the jets work only once the tub is completely full and water starts overflowing to the side!). Not to worry, there was more than enough going on elsewhere to keep me occupied.
In the King/Twin rooms, the bathrooms are marginally less grand, but still impressive with oval stand-alone baths. Base category rooms start from 45sqm and the distinctive shape of the building means no two rooms are the same – that's one of the reasons it took time to fit out the hotel; there are 14 different types of drawers, for example. The top floor suite (33) is reserved for the Crown Prince, who doesn't have to worry about hopping about in the lifts as he has his own helipad – this was an after-thought though, adding around six months to the construction schedule.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS I wanted to relax a bit on arrival so I had some room service. The club sandwich was your standard offering - although the price seemed a bit expensive (AED85). In the evening, I ate in 18°, which specialises in eastern Mediterranean cuisine (divided into Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey). The restaurant is pleasantly airey, so you can see the chefs at work and admire the views, and boasts an attractive outdoor terrace. I went Greek. Preceding the meal, I was given a small bowl of large Greek olives and warm bread and then opted for the sea bass and mashed potato, which was decorated with small strips of salad on the left and pureed together with the potato on the right. I enjoyed it, and it went well with a glass of South African Chenin Blanc (AED45). I breakfasted in 18° too – there were a wide range of cereals, breads, pastries, cheeses and fish (smoked eel and salmon), and you could order two eggs any style. The Lounge serves continental breakfasts, light lunches, tapas and afternoon teas.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES Given the proximity to ADNEC, the meetings offering is understandably small. There are four 'salons' (boardooms) on the Mezzanine level, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and this level also features Prive, which was originally going to be a bar but it's been changed to a private function and breakout space. Curiously for such a corporate-focused hotel, there's no executive lounge, but a business centre is near reception.
LEISURE FACILITIES The 19th floor spa, Rayana – which means 'gates to heaven' in Arabic – features a simple organic wood-and-bricks look. It’s not the largest spa in the world, with just four rooms and one couples room, but it's fine for a business hotel. You walk through to the left to the pool, which is cantilevered off the edge of the building. I wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the pool’s location, but it was quite windy. At 16 metres, it's long enough for a few strokes, but quite narrow and probably couldn't hold more than a few swimmers simultaneously; you also need to be careful not to bang your head on the fixture which merges into the Jacuzzi – which only seemed to pump out very gentle jets of water.
When you gaze up from the water – or down for that matter – you get a sense of the building's scale, if not quite the angular feats; that's more apparent when you look up from inside the atrium (below) that is located beside the rooms, where you can clearly see the beams twisting and turning. The spa also contains a fitness centre, offering more lofty views, where the four treadmills are wired to the internet. Hyatt is looking to keep gym membership exclusive, at around 25-35 members a year; the price tag will be around AED30,000 although for that, you'll get complimentary spa treatments and F&B discounts.
VERDICT Visually impressive inside and out, and mighty convenient for conference visitors, Hyatt Capital Gate is sure to establish itself as a corporate landmark.
FACT FILE
How many rooms? 189 including 22 suites.
Room highlights Superb bathroom and comfortable living room for work and relaxation. You can have fun with the curtains.
Price Rates start from AED2,500 for King rooms and AED2,700 for Twins, thereafter rising to AED4,300 for a Capital Suite, AED5,000 for Executive Suite, AED10,000 for Diplomatic Suite and AED17,500 for the Presidential Suite.
Contact Hyatt Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), PO Box 95165, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: (+9712) 5961234 Email: abudhabi.capitalgate@hyatt.com, abudhabi.capitalgate.hyatt.com
Dominic Ellis
