The 1,004-room Ciel Dubai Marina may have claimed the title of the World’s Tallest Hotel at 1,237 feet, but the city’s most compelling hotel to open in 2025 isn’t defined by scale.
It’s Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, a sinuous new seafront resort designed by Shaun Killa, the architect behind Dubai’s Museum of the Future and the UFO-like silvery pods of Shebara resort in the Saudi Red Sea.
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is the final piece in a maritime trio of luxury resorts that includes the sail-shaped Jumeirah Burj Al Arab—a landmark that put Dubai on the global luxury map in 1999—and the wave-like Jumeirah Beach Hotel. But there’s more to Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab than its iconic architecture. It’s set on the loveliest sweep of beach in the city.
Its service is both warm and efficient, as welcoming to holidaymaking families as to solo staycationers. Its light-filled rooms all have outdoor space and its restaurants are exceptional, with hyper-seasonal Japanese ingredients on the menu at Umi Kei, and excellent Greek mezze with a side of Burj views at beachside Iliana.
Above all, the resort captures Dubai’s current zeitgeist, drawing a mix of Emiratis and well-heeled world travelers with its exciting energy, unmatched sense of style, and sprinkling of swagger.
