This hotel has all the resources to be five-star, but something is fundamentally wrong with the way it is being managed.
First of all, the positives: the location is good, the pool is a decent size and the gym is genuinely really good. Breakfast was 10/10. The cleaners, concierge and restaurant staff at breakfast were also lovely. Unfortunately, that’s where the five-star experience stopped for us.
When we checked in, we were taken to a room that smelt strongly of mould. I actually have a poor sense of smell, so for me to notice it suggests this was not a minor issue. We were moved to another room without much fuss, which was fine.
However, the second room was a double when we had specifically booked a twin. I explained that I currently have a bad back and am struggling to sleep, which is why having separate beds mattered. We were then offered either to have the bed split or move to an upgraded room—which was also a double. This was the point I started getting irritated because I had literally just explained why another double room did not solve the problem.
We were tired, so agreed to have the bed split while we were out. They did this, but the resulting twin beds were extremely small and the pillows weren’t particularly comfortable either. The TV/streaming system felt dated and worked poorly, and the internet was slow.
Then my niece dropped an earring. While looking for it, we noticed some of the lights weren’t working, so I used the torch on my phone. The amount of dust I could suddenly see around the room was honestly embarrassing for a hotel positioning itself as five-star. I’m really not an especially fussy guest—I just expect a clean, tidy and comfortable room, particularly at this level.
By this stage, we asked Paramount if they would cancel the remainder of our four-night booking so we could move elsewhere. They flat-out refused and simply continued offering room changes. After already unpacking, repacking and moving once, I was fed up and told them to leave it.
I then suggested that, as a gesture of goodwill, they could include breakfast for the remainder of our stay. I was told they couldn’t because they would “lose money”. Instead, I was offered around 10–20% off food or a spa treatment. Considering their restaurants are available on The Entertainer with buy-one-get-one-free offers, this hardly felt like meaningful compensation for what had happened.
What bothered me most was the attitude towards resolving problems. Management seemed dismissive and, during one conversation, a manager repeatedly spoke over me while I was trying to explain the situation. It was simply rude.
The same attitude appeared elsewhere. We went for shisha when there was a ladies’ special advertised. We were told the flavours included in the offer were unavailable, so I asked what they could substitute instead. The answer was simply: nothing.
Another example: we were initially told the gym was open until 10pm with a member of staff present. On our final night, another staff member casually informed me that guests could actually use it 24 hours a day—we just needed to call reception for access. Great information to receive on the last night of a four-night stay.
And I think that sums this hotel up. When something isn’t available, something goes wrong, or a guest has a problem, there seems to be very little instinct to ask, “What can we do to make this better?” Instead, the response is often just “no”, or an option that doesn’t actually solve the issue.
It feels like the hotel is sailing along waiting for some magic event to turn it into the five-star property it could absolutely be, rather than addressing the basics.
The facilities are there. The location is there. Some excellent staff are there. But customer service, communication, cleanliness standards and service recovery need a huge overhaul before I could consider this a genuine five-star Dubai hotel.
