Address Boulevard

Absolutely unacceptable experience — especially for AED 45,000

I genuinely cannot understand how a hotel charging us AED 45,000 for a top-floor suite can provide this level of service.

We booked and paid a huge amount specifically for a premium suite on the top floor, only to discover that the air conditioning did not work. My mother is pregnant, so having a properly air-conditioned room is not some minor inconvenience, especially when paying AED 45,000.

We called the hotel and they sent a technician. He came to our room and told us the AC had been “fixed.”

We then waited TWO HOURS. The room was still hot and the AC was still not working.

We contacted the hotel again and they sent another technician. This technician then told us that the AC was actually broken. So why were we previously told it had been fixed and left waiting for two hours?

The hotel then offered to show us another room.

We went to the second room. The AC didn’t work there either.

They showed us another room.

The AC didn’t work there either.

At this point it was honestly unbelievable. We had now encountered THREE rooms in the same hotel with non-functioning air conditioning.

But what happened next made the customer service even worse.

My pregnant mother went downstairs specifically asking to speak to the manager because the situation had become ridiculous. Instead, another employee presented himself to us as if he were the manager, and rather than actually trying to solve the problem, we were told words to the effect of:

“We offered you two rooms and you didn’t want either of them.”

Of course we didn’t want them — THE AIR CONDITIONING DIDN’T WORK IN THEM.

How can a hotel seriously use that as an excuse? Offering replacement rooms with the same problem as the original room is not a solution. Were we supposed to accept another hot room just so the hotel could say they had “offered” us an alternative?

Eventually, instead of giving us an equivalent top-floor suite, they moved us into a much cheaper room on only the 6th floor.

So to summarise: we paid AED 45,000 for a premium top-floor suite, the AC was broken, one technician told us it was fixed when it wasn’t, another confirmed it was broken, we were shown multiple replacement rooms whose AC also didn’t work, my pregnant mother had to go downstairs herself trying to find a manager, an employee presented himself as the manager and then blamed us for rejecting rooms with broken AC, and eventually we were downgraded to a significantly cheaper room on the 6th floor.

And after ALL of this, the hotel still does not want to reduce the price accordingly.

How can you charge somebody for an expensive top-floor suite when that isn’t ultimately what you provide? If you downgrade a guest because you cannot provide the accommodation they paid for, surely the absolute minimum is to adjust the bill to reflect the room they actually received.

The facilities were disappointing as well. The gym is terrible for a hotel charging these prices. It is basically cardio equipment with around 2–3 actual resistance/weight machines. Anyone expecting a proper luxury-hotel gym should seriously lower their expectations.

For AED 45,000, we expected exceptional accommodation and service. Instead, we got broken air conditioning, hours wasted dealing with maintenance, multiple unsuitable replacement rooms, extremely poor handling by staff, a downgrade, and then resistance to adjusting the price.

And this wasn’t one unlucky faulty room. Three separate rooms had AC problems. That alone should tell prospective guests something about the maintenance standards we experienced.

I would strongly recommend that anyone considering paying premium prices here think very carefully before booking, particularly if you’re considering one of the expensive suites.

I would also genuinely like hotel management to publicly explain two things:

1. Why should a guest pay AED 45,000 for a top-floor suite when the hotel ultimately downgrades them to a cheaper 6th-floor room?

2. Why was my pregnant mother blamed for rejecting replacement rooms when those rooms also did not have properly working air conditioning?

A luxury hotel should be defined by its service when something goes wrong. Based on how this situation was handled, this experience was nowhere near the standard or service we paid for.

Exceptional Valet Service – Special Thanks to Sikandar

I regularly visit Kempinski The Boulevard, and the valet parking team is always professional, courteous, and efficient. I would especially like to recognize Sikandar, who consistently welcomes guests with a warm smile and provides outstanding service. His helpful attitude and professionalism create an excellent first and last impression of the hotel. He is a real credit to Kempinski. Thank you, Sikandar, and the entire valet team!