We have stayed in many hotels over the past couple of years of travel. None of them stood out to us as much as our stay at the Bodrum Edition. Not only was it the first time we were upgraded to a suite, but it was also at one of the most luxurious properties in Marriott’s lineup.
During our stay, we really loved the overall design and decoration of the property. We took many photos and notes that will be used for our future home.
After the stay, we also started looking around at other Edition properties around the world. At the time of writing, there are 16 Edition hotels around the world and we plan on staying in as many of them as possible.
As we were planning our trip to the Middle East, staying at an Edition property was at the top of our minds. When we found out that there was an Edition at Abu Dhabi and that we had enough Marriott Bonvoy Points to redeem for a night there, we immediately jumped at the opportunity.
This is a review of our 1-night stay at the Abu Dhabi Edition, Premier Deluxe Room as a Marriott Silver Elite member.
Booking
We booked our Premier Deluxe Marina View room at the Abu Dhabi Edition for 32,500 Marriott Points. This room typically costs 826 AED (US$224). This makes our redemption worth 6.9 US cents which is slightly below our valuation of 7 US cents per point.
Not the best in terms of redemption, but we’re willing to splurge on an Edition!
Check-in
As our taxi pulled into the drop-off point of the hotel, we immediately felt the hospitality of the hotel. The staff immediately opened our taxi door and helped us with our luggage. We were promptly ushered into the lobby to check in for our stay.
At the lobby, M went off to check in with the staff as the room was booked under her name and I went around taking photos of the property.
While checking in, the receptionist briefed M about the amenities of the property and the benefits that she has as a Silver Elite member. We tried asking for a suite upgrade, but it was unfortunately not available for us.
Instead, the receptionist offered us a late check-out at 3 pm the following day.
After processing our check-in, we were told that they were doing final touches to the room and we had to wait for 15 minutes for our room to be ready. While we were waiting, the receptionist brought us 2 cups of coffee from the Lobby Bar.
We love the consistent branding throughout the entire property.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite member, we were also given 2 welcome vouchers that we could redeem for beverages or retail discounts at the Spa. Fortunately, we already had plans to buy some Le Labo products before our stay so this was a big win!
Premier Deluxe Room
The Premier Deluxe Room measures 60 sqm in size and comes with a balcony that faces the marina. Its predominantly white and clean decoration strongly mimics other Edition properties around the world.
In the large bedroom, we have a lounging sofa right beside the king bed. The placement was a little awkward, but I guess there are no better corners to place this in the room.
For the bed itself, we were given 4 pillows in total. I felt that the pillows were too soft and I needed to stack 2 of them together to feel comfortable.
We really loved the fact that the decorations throughout the room were similar to the suite we stayed at in Bodrum Edition. This was something we loved about the Edition brand and we’re glad the Abu Dhabi Edition did not disappoint.
Our room was the Marina View room, so it directly faces the neighbouring Marsa Al Bateen Marina. We had a balcony with lounge chairs that we could use to chill in. However, the marina was relatively small and the waters were not very beautiful too. I wouldn’t say having a marina view was a huge upgrade above the standard rooms.
Minibar
The minibar in our Premier Deluxe room is minimal and simple. There are complimentary bottles of still and sparkling water which are refilled every day.
Tea bags and coffee capsules are complimentary to guests at the hotel. We loved that they were specially packaged with Edition branding on them.
Bathroom
As you step into the bathroom, you’ll be greeted by its huge free-standing bathtub and large handwash area.
Although there was a huge countertop, there was only 1 handwashing basin available.
Typical of Edition properties, bathroom amenities are provided by Le Labo, a New York perfumery. This is one of our favourite bathroom amenities and is also the reason why Edition is our favourite Marriott brand.
Le Labo creates a special scent for Edition hotels and you cannot purchase them at outlets outside of Edition properties.
A small bottle of bath salt is also provided by Le Labo.
There is a separate shower area with rain and a hand-held shower. I enjoyed using the rain shower here as it’s of the perfect water pressure and temperature.
Unlike our experience at Bodrum Edition, the Abu Dhabi Edition went for reusable bottles for their bathroom amenities instead of travel-sized amenities. This is probably a better choice for the environment and a cost-cutting measure for the company.
Breakfast
Breakfast at the Abu Dhabi Edition is conducted at the Market Restaurant, located at the side of the lobby.
Across the entire Edition brand, there are no complimentary breakfast entitlements for Marriot status holders, even for Platinum Elite members and above. The only way to get a “complimentary” breakfast is to have it as part of your paid room rate. However, we decided to pay out of our own pocket for it.
The breakfast at Abu Dhabi Edition is Ala Carte, regardless of whether you have breakfast included in your room rate. If you do, then you have a menu where you can order anything you want from it.
I got the fried buttermilk brined chicken while M got the fried eggs and sweetcorn pancakes. They were tasty, but not enough to make us feel full at the end of the meal.
Amenities
Gym
The gym directly faces the pool and the marina below it. It has huge floor-to-ceiling windows that make running on the treadmills less gruelling.
Swimming Pool
The swimming pool at Abu Dhabi Edition is a long lap pool that runs parallel to the marina beside it. Despite it being a lap pool, I found it hard to actually swim laps in it as it was very shallow on one end.
We went to the pool during late evening hours and there were plenty of sunbeds available. The cabanas were also complimentary for guests of the property.
As part of our welcome amenity for being a Silver Elite member, we could choose any beverage from the pool bar.
Summary
The Edition brand remains our favourite hotel brand after this stay. Before our stay, we were really worried that the Abu Dhabi Edition would let us down as our only experience with Edition was at the Bodrum Edition, which was one of Marriott’s best properties.
Fortunately, the Abu Dhabi Edition did not disappoint us one bit. The service quality was top-notch, from the second we arrived at the hotel to the moment we left. We had such a great experience interacting with every staff at the property.
The simple yet modern design language of the entire property really spoke to us and the luxurious amenities used were a perfect cherry on top. We look forward to staying in other Edition properties around the world and are already looking at making our next reservation.
