It’s been three decades since the Delano ignited Miami’s hotel scene from its beachfront location on Collins Avenue. The beginning of the ‘urban resort’ concept from hotelier Ian Schrager, the Philippe Starck-designed property, with its crisp white aesthetic, redefined the luxury resort experience, fast becoming a place to see and be seen.
After changing hands a few times over the years, the Delano group is now part of Ennismore’s Lifestyle Collective and has re-emerged with a fresh new look, first with the launch of Maison Delano in Paris in 2023 and now with a new home in Dubai (the Delano Miami Beach is also set to reopen, having shuttered in 2020).
Located on the shores of Bluewaters, an island and lifestyle destination near Dubai Marina, the 251-room Delano Dubai, like its Paris iteration, bears the brand’s hallmark signatures, but reimagined for today’s traveller. In short, understated and effortless with a reawakened Rose Bar, the return of the legendary Blue Door restaurant, and of course, that iconic pool, which – like in Miami – takes centre stage, at the heart of the hotel.
The collective work of Elastic Architects, La Bottega Interiors and YDesign, together with Ennismore’s in-house design team, Delano Dubai is an updated version of the original, Miami property’s look and feel. This starts with a discreet entrance framed by manicured greenery – that draws from South Beach’s familiar hedge – and a veil of white curtains that leads to softly minimal interiors revealed through a muted palette, with curved silhouettes and rich textures. The guestrooms – each with its own balcony that looks out either onto the resort’s gardens or the sparkling gulf – feature white oak flooring, custom wool rugs, fluted headboards and organically shaped furniture in creamy tones with muted red accents.
Of course, this being Dubai, the five-bedroom Delano Penthouse - designed by La Bottega Interiors – sets a new standard for the city and unfolds to include a series of living and dining spaces, a Bulthaup kitchen, Zebrano marble bathrooms with standalone tubs made from a single block of stone, and two terraces, one with a fully stocked bar, and the other with an infinity pool.
On the food front, there are six dining venues that cover everything from Japanese to Italian, with the revived Rose Bar and Blue Door restaurant stealing the show. Here, the latter serves a menu of coastal Anatolian dishes, while the opulent Rose Bar is the best spot to end the evening, preferably with a snack like the lobster and crab brioche and a cocktail, such as the Hanky Panky, which is made using gin, Fernet Branca and the bar’s signature vermouth.
This all comes together to much applause for a hotel that is unmistakably Delano.
