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Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City

This is my review of the Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City. A delightful surprise of a property that should be included in your list of hotels to consider staying in while in Dubai. 

We stayed in the Holiday Inn Festival City Dubai last year during New Year’s since we were in Dubai for two months. We needed some extra days, and the only decent property that was not in the hundreds was the Dubai Holiday Inn Festival City. 

I initially looked at the Intercontinental Festival City Residence, but it was around £250 a night for a two-bedroom apartment. So I decided to stick with a more budget option and go for the Holiday Inn Festival City. 

I am happy that we chose the property, and I would happily return. 

entrance of the Dubai Festival City Hotel Review
Entrance

The hotel has been open only two years, so it is still new, and it does feel like it. 

It is open space, modern, rooms are nicely decorated, and best of all, they have a connection to the Festival City Mall, and you can walk to the promenade. 

After all the hotel hoping we have done the previous two months, this is one of my favourite hotels along with the Aloft the Palm. Two properties which I didn’t expect I would like. 

We were meant to stay for a night and ended up 13 days on the property. 

Holiday Inn hotels are family-friendly, so they also offer a good deal on family rooms. We managed to book a family room together, around £90 in total, and it comes in two rooms, one twin and one double.

Considering the location and the hotel’s style, it is a fantastic price for a family.

Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City cafe
Cafe

Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City

The Check-in was efficient, and the lobby was nice and bright. Staff in this property are generally very friendly, and nothing seems to be too much. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review
double room

The rooms are modern with neutral colours and very spacious. 

They did an excellent job with the interior, which also doesn’t feel cheap. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review
Twin bedroom

There are several Holiday Inn hotels in Dubai, but many are dated and old and definitely not worth the price. 

There are small sofa sectionals that you can move around if you need – I used ours as my daughter’s bed. 

There is plenty of space for luggage, and the bathroom is nice and modern. 

Bathroom

I also felt that their housekeeping is doing a good job in terms of cleaning during this time. It is one of the only hotels that feels clean in the room and more reassured that they are taking the pandemic seriously.

Breakfast 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review
Breakfast

We had breakfast included which was excellent. There was plenty of choice of hot and cold options as well as cooked variety. I liked that they would change some of the hot options every day, making it less boring, especially if you are staying longer. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review breakfast
Breakfast section

There is plenty of space, and the restaurant is nice and bright; you also never felt too close to another family. 

Amenities 

This hotel has a lot going for it. The kids club, for example, was fantastic for my daughter, who spent a lot of time there. 

It had many toys and options, and they only allowed five kids. I also loved the fact that she started making friends and seems to enjoy other children’s company. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review
kids play area

If you are coming with family, I think this is a great option to let your kid enjoy their time as well. 

I never thought I would be looking for hotels with kids clubs, but here I am! 

The pool is on the same level as the spa and the kids club. It is not a huge pool, but it has a lovely view of Burj Khalifa, especially as the sun sets just behind the world’s tallest building. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review view from the pool
View from the pool

If you are a family, especially with younger children and need space for them to walk around, this hotel’s location is perfect. 

It is close to Burj Khalifa, Dubai Creek Souqs, and many other top attractions in Dubai and connected to the Festival City Mall, IKEA and Carrefour Hypermarket. 

Dubai Festival City Hotel Review entrance
Entrance to the mall

Because my mum was with me and looking after my daughter, I wanted them to be able to walk around the area since many hotels in Dubai are luxurious but don’t have that option. 

If you are staying long term or with young kids, having the ability to walk to the promenade, which is over 4km long and enjoy the fountain show every evening is fantastic. 

There are many activities for the children, and with so many shops and food options in the Mall, you don’t have to worry about what you will eat obviously everything is halal. 

For me, it was a big selling point as running out of milk wasn’t a problem we could go to the supermarket in 5 minutes. 

Overall 

I cannot fault the Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City. The location is fantastic, the price is great for the hotel’s quality, and it has so much going for it. 

If you are looking for a good family budget hotel in Dubai, I recommend checking it out.

Where to book

You can read the Tripadvisor reviews here and you can book via Hotels.com here as you get 10th free.

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