Rose Rayhaan by Rotana: Above It All

At 333 meters and 72 stories, it spent a glamorous run at the top – certified as the world’s tallest hotel from 2009 until someone else inevitably went taller. The blue glass, the golden spire, the slightly retro-cool script of its name – all of it looks a little bit like a 2010 screensaver, still shimmering above Sheikh Zayed Road.

Step inside, and you feel the time capsule click shut. The lobby is generous with its marble, while the mirrored lifts whisk you up to one of the world’s highest views with the minimum of fuss. If you’re here for business, you’re already halfway to DIFC before your shoes touch the carpet. If you’re here for a holiday, the Burj Khalifa is a few blocks away, and the mall is so close you could probably see the Dubai fountains’ spray if the wind is right.

There’s a practicality to Rose Rayhaan’s rooms that makes them feel designed for travelers who mean business: big beds, thick curtains, more electrical outlets than you’ll ever use, and – here’s the secret – a window that turns the whole city into your own private aquarium. Panoramic views sweep out over a city that never really goes to sleep, and there’s something about eating breakfast 50 floors up, watching the sunrise burn off the haze, that makes even an ordinary morning feel slightly unreal.

The gym is bigger than you’d expect, and the restaurant serves the sort of international greatest-hits menu that can feed anyone from anywhere at any hour. You could come back at midnight and find a bowl of biryani or a club sandwich waiting. And, true to the Rayhaan promise, there’s not a drop of alcohol to be found, which makes the whole place feel oddly wholesome – a bit of a time warp in a city where the next party is always starting somewhere else.

There’s a certain nostalgia to the Rose Rayhaan. Maybe it’s the height, maybe it’s the view, maybe it’s the soft hum of city life you hear when you crack the window. Surrounded by glassier and flashier towers, the hotel stands as a quiet witness to the city’s race to the clouds – and sometimes, that’s reason enough to check in, order a pot of tea, and watch the city drift by beneath your feet.