Background
Accor and joint venture partner Ennismore opened the first Middle East property under their luxury SO/ brand in the second half of last year. The mixed-use Uptown Tower has office spaces from floors 9-30, 227 SO/-branded residences from floors 48-75, and 188 rooms and suites between the two.
Where is it?
Located close to Jumeirah Lake Towers, the 340m high Uptown Tower stands out gloriously amongst its immediate vicinity where it is the tallest building.
What’s it like?
Upon entering the lobby, we were gripped with its curated selection of art, unique architecture and tasteful design. The lobby artwork has been designed by APL and Capsule Arts. There are green velvet sofas, marble tables, statues, a 3D effect on the soaring pillars, geometric patterned overhead lights, and a glass staircase – a very chic space indeed. There is an excellent selection of coffee table books too from major publishing houses including Phaidon, Assouline, Rizzoli, and Beta-Plus.
Rooms
From the lobby, you will need to take the elevator up to the 34th floor and then change elevators to make your way to your room. We stayed in the 67 sqm Atelier one-bedroom suite. Avant-garde design is a major focus here, and so the coffee table in the living room resembled an abstract-shaped sculpture, while a piece of framed 3D art hung just over the dining table. In the bedroom, there were mechanised curtains controls bedside. There were also USB charging points on either side of the bed which had international socket adaptors. The suite makes very smart use of the available space – a recessed area in the room that would have otherwise been lost to the curvature of the building – has instead been smartly designed into a viewing area with a chaise lounge set within it to allow for great views from the window. The large bathroom had Lanvin products in full-sized bottles and a freestanding bathtub.
Food and drink
There’s a lobby bar and lounge, Savant, located behind the reception and The Citronelle Club, one level above, is open from 6pm-midnight and offers pan Asian cuisine. Instead, we made our way to the Uptown Brasserie all-day dining restaurant located at the other end of the check-in desks in the lobby. The views of the low-slung Jumeirah Park villas from the restaurant are amazing, so best to take up a spot near the window. For lunch, we opted for an excellent onion soup and seabass fillet, while for dinner the burgundy snails in parsley and garlic butter, baked tiger prawns (we weren’t adventurous enough to order the frog legs) and burrata all highlight the French-Italian strengths of this restaurant. Hotel guests can make their way here for the daily à la carte breakfast.
Meetings
From the lobby, you can take the elevator down to the meetings and events space. There are three meeting rooms fitted with AV equipment. A ballroom is located nearby that can host up to 1,000 guests and can be split into two. There is also a large pre-function area just outside the ballroom.
Leisure
The spa here is stocked with Anne Semonin products. It has three treatment rooms for men and another three for women, as well as one couple therapy room – the couple’s room features a water bed. The Technogym-equipped gym is open throughout the day. There is a yoga studio too. The outdoor pool, located on the seventh floor, has stylish clam-shaped pods adjacent to it to relax poolside.
Verdict
The hotel has a very strong personality that attempts to cut through the cookie-clutter one-size-fits-all design that unfortunately plagues far too many hotels. This is a hotel that prides itself on art and design and will be a delightful stay for any aesthete.
Fact Box:
Best for: Time spent in the lobby in the company of some excellent coffee table books.
Don’t miss: A meal at Uptown Brasserie.
Price: Internet rates for a midweek stay in February start from Dhs1530 for an Atelier suite.
Contact: Uptown Tower, Uptown, Dubai; +971 4 820 8888; so-hotels.com
