There’s no number on the door of the EWOW Suite at W Dubai – Mina Seyahi, just a clandestine entrance for those in the know. Sitting at the end of a long, dark corridor on the 30th floor, inside it’s like an Aladdin’s Cave of prints, textures and colour clashes. Tassels here, gold paint flecks there, calligraphy, velvet, fringing, marble, chequered tiles, animal-print textiles, ceilings like liquid gold… Every surface, something different to touch.
This 160-square-metre treasure chest is courtesy of multi-disciplinary design company, BLINK Design Group – who oversaw the W Dubai – Mina Seyahi project – injecting it with lavish Arabian touches centred around the spirit of the souk: playful yet with hints of intrigue. The interiors also take inspiration from the ancient storytelling tradition of Al-Halqah – in which crowds would form round masters who would spin captivating stories – with every single aspect of the design telling a different tale.
With a definite retro-meets-Art Deco skew, the suite is all rounded edges and curved corners – not a hard edge in sight. The ultimate entertaining pad, along with its two bedrooms, it has a huge living room with an eight-seater marble dining table with purple velvet chairs, a curvilinear six-seater sofa, a projector for movie nights or music videos, and a bar-cum-DJ booth. It doesn’t get much cooler than this. Actually, wait until you step onto the wraparound terrace. Now this really is the ultimate party space, with seven different places to sit, a fire pit, and 180-degree views of Ain Dubai, the bay and Dubai Harbour. Sip something shaken but not stirred out here as the sun sets and the city after dark fires up for elevated living.
But just in case you’re still looking for somewhere to enjoy a little cocktail and conversation, cosy velvet corner seats that wrap around the sinks in the Master Bathroom are a surprising touch.
The tactile touches keep on coming in the Master Bedroom, too. Ombre floor-to-ceiling fringed curtains between the bedroom and bathtub, a velvet headboard in soft lilac, textured walls, glass mosaic tiles decorating a chaise longue and pretty vintage glass jars in jewel-hues. Sunlight streams in bouncing off mirrors from all angles. Bathbombs add a little fizz to bathing rituals. And Davines Momo products with yellow melon extract bring good shower vibes. While the Master Bedroom is a cornucopia of colour, the second bedroom is more muted in deep hues of burgundy, with two gilded foot stools for good measure. The wet room is unique with its jet-black bathtub, rain shower, marble tiled walls, and rotatable marble panels concealing a beautiful giraffe-print wallpaper behind.
Everything in the suite feels like a collector’s item – something sourced from far-away trips to foreign lands and brought back to create an emporium of curiosity, comfort, story and style. It reflects the rest of the hotel, in which each space weaves magic: from the flying carpet and beaded tunnel in the lobby to the traditional Arabic jewellery framed on walls in the Arabesque bar Farrago, to the snake skin-esque mosaic tiled floors that take you to the elevator and anywhere you want to go.
Stop on the second floor for Ginger Moon and WET Deck: chilled dips, mixologist sips and Californian bar bites; the 30th floor for Bar-B Spa where socialising, cocktails and pampering go hand in hand; or the 31st floor for Attiko, a sleek-and-chic rooftop bar that’s ideal for sundowners or late-night soirées. Then, return to your EWOW Suite to let the evening begin – entertainment on another level. The bar’s open, the DJ decks ready to spin, that terrace awaiting friends and inviting conviviality. The real beauty here is that you’re the narrator of the story, and the next chapter is ready to write…
WHAT: EWOW Suite
WHERE: W Dubai – Mina Seyahi
TEL: +971 4 350 9999
www.marriott.com