Element by Marriott Dubai Airport

The free parking is plentiful in the underground garage, and being close to the airport worked well for our late night arrival. The hotel was clean, reasonably priced, and had great staff, with the familiar Marriott comfort and experience. The restaurant was the letdown: quite expensive for food that wasn't memorable. We'd still highly recommend it for a Dubai stay.

The buffet breakfast was good, and it was fun to have a chef making omelets. The room itself was beautiful, with a good range of amenities like a toothbrush and comb, plus comfortable beds and furniture, unless you ask for an extra bed. Mine was awful, with every spring noticeable and a dirty, crusty blanket, so I slept on the couch. The bathroom was semi-flooded after every shower, and the lighting was awkward to figure out. Reception service was friendly. The airport shuttle is expensive, so a group might save money by arranging taxis, about the price of three. The elevators were incredibly smooth, a real plus if you get motion sickness.

We arrived at Aloft Dubai Airport with our Hotels.com reservation on Wednesday 4th March around 1500, about an hour after check-in opened, hoping to relax for two nights. After showing ID, the reservation number, and the confirmed booking in the app, reception said they couldn't find it and then claimed it had been cancelled. They suggested my card might have declined during travel, although I live in Abu Dhabi and this was pay at the property, or said the third party had cancelled it, despite the app and emails still showing confirmation. Following that advice could have meant cancelling and rebooking through the app, with a risk of being charged twice. We waited in the lobby for more than 2.5 hours and weren't even offered water. Hotels.com eventually confirmed the hotel had cancelled the reservation without notifying us, apologizing, or explaining why. The hotel then came up with a new booking and a price over AED900+, far above our original AED704.06 including all fees and taxes. We refused, and they quickly changed it to the price we'd booked. There was only a brief apology for the delay, and my husband had to ask what they would do about the stress and inconvenience. They offered one or two hours of late checkout, even though as world travellers we know that can be given anyway. At checkout, the receptionist still insisted the fault was with "expedia.com & payment." Very disappointing from Marriot Bonvoy, with no compassion, professionalism, or empathy. If Hotels.com hadn't maintained our booking, we would have gladly booked somewhere else.

We could walk to and from the airport because it is across from terminal one, which was handy since we packed light and wanted to save money. We stayed February 22-March 8th 2026, and the conflict began Feb 28th 2026. When we were stranded and had to extend three times, the staff helped with a discount. They were helpful and friendly through some chaotic moments. The place was clean, with a pool table, a women only salon, a pool, and two restaurants. One restaurant was closed during our stay; the other had good Ramadan buffets at night. Highly recommend.