Sheikh-sized beds, a jungle rooftop bar, colourful, design-led suites and countless creative spaces make this Dubai’s most unique and authentic hotel
Isabella Craddock
25hours Hotel Dubai review: 8/10
Why stay at 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central
Once in a blue moon, a hotel comes along and makes such an impact it almost alters the DNA of a city’s hospitality scene. This is the mission of 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central, the Euro-cool brand that made its Middle Eastern debut in Dubai in 2021, and has since cultivated a loyal customer base of partygoers, hotel guests, diners, co-workers and creatives. The German-born 25hours brand is known in Europe for its quirky, design-led hotels in the likes of Berlin, Munich, Paris, Florence and Copenhagen, and its first outpost outside of Europe is no different. There’s the same playfulness in the 424-room Dubai property (think cheeky slogans like ‘let’s spend the night together’ emblazoned on pillows and boundary-pushing concepts like the first mixed-gender sauna in Dubai), but with a more elevated and luxurious Dubai approach. Not just a hotel, 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central is a dining hotspot, wellness escape, party hangout, creative studio and space for co-working spaces – catering to every hour of the day (plus one more).
Location: 7/10
In the commercial One Central neighbourhood overlooking the Museum of the Future. Before the opening, the area was largely reserved for office spaces and visitors to the nearby World Trade Centre – but the property has breathed a new lease of life into its streets. The neighbouring is now home to coffee shops and a Salt Burger pop-up, and Padel Pro is a short stroll away (hotel guests get 25% off), along with the Museum of the Future itself – one of Dubai’s most popular new attractions. The restaurants and shops of the swanky DIFC area are a short drive, or walk away, along with the airport and Downtown Dubai – making it accessible, as well as exciting.
Rooms and suites: 8/10
Like its European sister properties, 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central has a prevalent theme: Dubai’s celebrating the achievements of the emirates with Bedouins to Mars. The story starts in rooms on the second floor – the industrial-chic Bedouin – with a colour palette and soft furnishings reminiscent of traditional majlis, alongside nods to its European sister properties like open glass showers. From the entry-level rooms, it’s onwards through time. Colourful and design-led artist Village suites have dual showers, living space and in-room bicycles, while Farmstay suites are ideal for long-stay guests and have touches like colourful tiles and soaking tubs. The Hakawai Suite is the hotel’s answer to a penthouse suite – a slick city apartment with stunning views of the Museum of the Future from its spacious terrace, a bar, a sheikh-sized bed (sleeping eight) and a secret passageway to a potential connecting room. At check-in, make sure to double-check the location of your room, as rooms near Monkey Bar can sometimes be a little loud.
Food and drink: 9/10
As with the rooms and public spaces, 25hours’ restaurants and bars are all about the theme. The most famous is the Latin-American-inspired Monkey Bar – where the famous Berlin hotspot gets a glossy Dubai makeover. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating on a jungle terrace – the latter with ‘monkey cages’ and Museum of the Future views (come on Friday night for the biggest part in town, Hot Mess, in collaboration with Factory People). Some floors down, the brand’s German spirit comes to life in Ernst Biergarten – a beer garden and all-day eatery which regularly hosts live bands and is a hangout for sporting matches and Octoberfest. The ground floor has Tandoor Tina – an iteration of London’s Tandoor Chophouse with dusty Rajasthan pink walls and pops of greenery and a modern Indian menu (also the setting for an impressive continental buffet breakfast with a la carte egg dishes). Servicing the hotel’s army of local creative co-workers and the healthy lunch and coffee crowd is Nomad Day Bar – a partnership with the city’s favourite local coffee brand, Nightjar Coffee Roasters. The latter spills onto a soaring courtyard where pop-ups and cool activations regularly take place. Juna is the newest addition: a rooftop shisha garden open weekends and serving bites and cocktails.
Spa and facilities: 9/10
For wellness, beauty and leisure head to the sixth floor, home to the Extra Hour Spa – a slick, monochromatic and modern wellness hub with a sauna, steam, salt therapy and treatment rooms and an outdoor jungle spa garden home to a pod-like mixed-gender sauna. There are the usual massages and facials, plus some tailored unique treatments. Around the corner lies a hair and beauty salon by celebrity stylist Wassim Steve and a hipster barbershop serving trendy cuts and cold-brew coffee. Outside is a canopied rooftop pool framed by ultra-wide and plush sun loungers with a bar and Museum views – a social hub with music and the odd event – so don’t expect total calm. The gym is modern, industrial-chic and packed out with high-tech techno Gym equipment and an outdoor terrace which offers classes from visiting trainers. Guests all have access to Schindelhauer bicycles and e-bikes during their stay and can use the hotel’s fleet of branded Minis complimentary during their stay.
The Verdict: 8/10
25hours Hotel Dubai is a much-needed dose of Eurol cool and eccentricity to Dubai’s luxury and glossy hotel scene – few cities have developed such a cult following and soul in a short time, and the warmth and spirit are palpable in its public spaces and restaurants. This is less hotel and more creative co-working space and lifestyle and social hub for drinking, dining and letting your hair down – though the spacious and design-led rooms and facilities cement it as a five-star offering. For a Dubai hotel stay with a difference, book a stay at 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central.
Doubles from AED650; book now
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