Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace is so luxe that it transcends the usual title of five-star hotel. At least, that’s what the city thinks.
So the United Arab Emirates capital decided to create its own hospitality category, dubbed 5-star plus hotels, for the palace and other accommodations that are considered to be more lavish than traditional five-star properties. And that new title doesn’t come easy: To receive the classification, local hotels need to have two presidential suites, high staff-to-guest ratios, a limousine service, and a helipad no less than five kilometers away from the property.
Emirates Palace (pictured above) officially became a Mandarin Oriental property in February 2023, after the hotel group acquired it from Kempinski in 2020. It is now known as Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, which features 394 rooms (including three palace suites), several upscale restaurants, and 114 of the world’s most detailed gold domes. A 1.3-kilometer beach that opened to the public in 2005 is also part of the iconic hotel.
“[A 5-star plus hotel is] A 5-star hotel which provides an experience that clearly exceeds five-star expectations through an ultra-luxurious infrastructure, impeccable standards, and a service delivery that caters to requirements of guests in a personalized, anticipatory and warm manner,” the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi explains in a statement. Many other luxury hotels from names such as the Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, Rosewood, and Shangri-La also make up the city’s most opulent stays but none has received the 5-star plus ranking—yet.
Back in May, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism announced plans to draw more than 24 million visitors by the end of 2023. The city attracted a whopping 18 million visitors last year, which is reportedly a 13 percent increase from 2021. As the city continues to host sporting events from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to UFC matches, as well as musical acts such as Guns N’ Roses and the Backstreet Boys, its ambitious targets could come to fruition. With that influx of foot traffic, only two questions remain: which luxury hotel will be next to receive the 5-star plus classification, and whether those properties will redesign spaces and introduce new amenities to fit the criteria.
Seems like we may get those answers soon enough.
