OverviewLocated about a 5-minute walk from
Sharaf DG Metro Station 2 and a 4-minute drive from the nearest Highway E11 on-ramp, the Holiday Inn Dubai-Al Barsha is geared towards pedestrian or road travellers who require a hotel with an outdoor pool, on-site dining and easy access to public transit and the highway.
Each of the hotel's air-conditioned guest rooms and suites offers cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-bar, a desk, an iron and ironing board, a bidet, a bathroom scale and a hair dryer. Rooms with a separate bedroom are also available, and the hotel is wheelchair accessible. In-room Wi-Fi is an additional AED 75 per day.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor rooftop pool, a kiddie pool, a bar, a fitness centre, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, laundry services, a barber/beauty shop, a gift shop, packed lunches and free parking. Smoking and non-smoking rooms are offered and pets are not permitted.
On-site dining at Gharana and The Royal Buddha (serving dinner daily) and The Gem Garden, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Mall of Emirates offers shopping roughly 12 minutes away on foot, while The Emirates Golf Club can be found 12 minutes away by car. Ski Dubai is about a 6-minute walk from the hotel and Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a 30-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's staff, location and rooms.
Numerous reviewers praised the hotel's staff, characterizing them as attentive, accommodating, friendly and helpful with directions and recommendations. One guest remarked, "The staff were incredibly attentive which made the stay very relaxing. There were always three or four staff at the entrance to help with bags, directions or to sort a taxi for us and they always gave a welcome smile and hello as we came and went. Check-in and check-out were quick and easy".
Many guests were pleased with the hotel's location. They found it close to the Mall of Emirates, Dubai Marina, public transit, restaurants, the airport, Ski Dubai, shopping and a cinema.
The hotel's accommodations were enjoyed by several lodgers. They described their rooms as clean, well equipped, spacious, quiet and modern, with comfortable beds. A few travellers complained about their rooms, however (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few common complaints about the cost of the hotel, noise transfer and the rooms.
Some guests complained about the cost of the hotel. They found the bar prices and room rates to be overpriced, and felt that the Wi-Fi fee was expensive and should have been included in the daily rate.
Noise disturbances were reported by a few lodgers. They complained of highway noise, noisy in-room air-conditioning units and noise from guests and the cleaning staff in the hallways.
Although the majority of reviewers praised their clean and well-equipped rooms, a few patrons criticized their lodgings. They reported small-sized rooms, cigarette odours in non-smoking rooms and dated decor.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #105 of 459 Dubai hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 376 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.1 out of 10 from 264 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.3 out of 5 with a 94% recommendation rate from 122 reviews.
