Hotel Royal Falcon

Located on Muraqabat road opposed the Reaf Mall and just down the road from the police station close to Fish roundabout. The hotel is in Deira, the old part of town. There is also a metro station, Al Salhuddin that is due to open at the end of the year 2010.

The hotel first opened in 1994 as the Gold Falcon and then in 2004 as the Royal Falcon, but it doesn't look as though it's been refurbished since the 90s!

As you enter the lobby, kitted out in grey lino and ugly chipped furniture, it is obvious that this hotel is far from the usual standard in the city, in any city, as a matter of fact! The staff was friendly and helpful, but the entire hotel needs a full refurbishment. The carpets are greyed and stained, the walls need a fresh lick of paint...everything needs replacing. There is a mish-mash of a restaurant-cum-nightclub downstairs off the lobby restaurant which is equally drab.The hotel feels dark and dingy. The rooms are arranged on stark corridors which are accessed via an elevator. There is no gym or spa and no pool either. There are six floors and about 14 rooms per floor.

There are 84 rooms described as 'marvellously decorated' on the hotel's website, however we beg to differ. The rooms look like they are falling apart, complete with broken lamps, torn and stained soft furnishings and satin bedcovers. Even the plastic plants used as decor look dead! The rooms are otherwise small and dingy. They all have televisions. Guests have a choice between double, single, twin and three-bed rooms. The suites comprise of a small living room area with a stained greying couch and still life paintings to match. The rooms are otherwise stuffy. The bathrooms all look fairly clean and functional, most with bath tubs. There are packets of toiletries of an unknown brand.

When we saw the outlets we had to politely decline the manager's kind drink offer, let's put it that way. There are several outlets that really don't look pleasant, not even for a drink. Otherwise there is Johnnies Bar and Moulin Rouge. The other outlets were closed during our visit.