The best hotel to book in Dubai in 2026 is Atlantis The Royal, with Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah and the new Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab close behind. The Burj Al Arab, long the number one on this list, closed for an 18-month restoration in April 2026 and is not expected back until around October 2027, so it moves to a separate section below. This list covers ten hotels you can actually book today, ranked on our own scoring of setting, room quality, service tier and how much stay you get for the price.
Best hotels in Dubai at a glance
| Rank | Hotel | Area | Price tier (our rating) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlantis The Royal | Palm Jumeirah | Ultra-luxury |
| 2 | Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab | Beside the Burj Al Arab | Ultra-luxury |
| 3 | Jumeirah Al Qasr | Madinat Jumeirah | Luxury to ultra-luxury |
| 4 | Raffles Dubai | Wafi City | Luxury |
| 5 | Atlantis The Palm | Palm Jumeirah | Luxury (family resort) |
| 6 | Shangri-La Dubai | Sheikh Zayed Road | Luxury |
| 7 | Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort | Palm Jumeirah | Luxury |
| 8 | Bab Al Shams Desert Resort | Desert, outside the city | Luxury |
| 9 | Melia Desert Palm | Polo estate, Al Awir | Luxury, villa-led |
| 10 | Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara | Liwa desert (Abu Dhabi emirate) | Luxury to ultra-luxury |
Room prices swing hard with the season, so we show tiers rather than a fixed nightly figure. For context, Dubai’s citywide average daily room rate reached about AED 746 in 2025, up roughly 8.7% on 2024, and the city ended 2025 with about 158,700 hotel rooms. Always check the hotel’s own site for your dates.
The 10 best hotels in Dubai
1. Atlantis The Royal: ultra-luxury, Palm Jumeirah
Atlantis The Royal opened on the Palm Jumeirah in 2023 and is the most talked-about address in the city. It has 760 rooms and 16 restaurants, 102 VIP suites (44 of them with private pools) and what is described as the world’s largest jellyfish aquarium.
Expect the top end of Dubai pricing. One booking-site snapshot showed rooms at about $1,098 a night for a March stay, and the biggest suite is reported to cost well over $100,000 a night.
How we valued it: Judged on newness, suite quality and service tier. The nightly price is a single dated booking-site snapshot, not a rate card.
2. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab: ultra-luxury, Umm Suqeim
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab opened in March 2025 on a peninsula next to the Burj Al Arab, with 386 guest rooms and suites. It is the obvious pick for anyone who wants the Burj Al Arab view and Jumeirah service while the older hotel is closed.
It is a Jumeirah property, so the brand’s beach, spa and restaurant standards carry over.
How we valued it: Based on location and brand standard. We have no verified rate card, so no price is quoted.
3. Jumeirah Al Qasr: luxury to ultra-luxury, Madinat Jumeirah
Al Qasr, Arabic for ‘the Palace’, is the grandest hotel inside the Madinat Jumeirah resort. Its sandstone architecture, tree-lined approach and Arabian horse statues suit a stay built around the beach, the waterways and the souk.
Guests get access to the wider Madinat facilities, including the spa, the beach and nearby Wild Wadi. Directory listings have shown standard rooms from roughly $540 to $900 a night and suites from about $770 to $1,400, though those listings are undated.
How we valued it: Ranked on resort scale and setting. Prices are undated directory ranges, so treat them as a rough guide.
4. Raffles Dubai: luxury, Wafi City
Raffles Dubai is the pyramid-shaped hotel at Wafi City, opened in 2007 as the brand’s first property in the Middle East. It has a 19-storey pyramid design, large rooms with private balconies and a handy position for the city’s business and shopping districts.
It suits travellers who want a central base rather than a beach resort.
How we valued it: Scored on room size and location. No verified current rate was found, so none is quoted.
5. Atlantis The Palm: luxury, Palm Jumeirah
Atlantis The Palm opened in September 2008 as the first resort on the Palm. It has 1,544 rooms in two towers, the Aquaventure water park, the Lost Chambers aquarium and dozens of restaurants, including Nobu and Hakkasan.
It is the best family choice on the list. One booking-site snapshot showed rooms at about $395 a night for late March 2026, a fraction of its newer sister hotel.
How we valued it: Judged on facilities for families. The price is a single dated booking-site snapshot.
6. Shangri-La Dubai: luxury, Sheikh Zayed Road
The Shangri-La is a 43-floor tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, finished in 2003. It has 302 rooms with deep soaking tubs and rain showers, plus a spa that draws on traditional Chinese medicine.
It is a city hotel, with shopping and skyscraper views a few blocks away, rather than a beach stay.
How we valued it: Based on service and location. Room count comes from the hotel’s older description.
7. Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort: luxury, Palm Jumeirah
Anantara sits on the eastern crescent of the Palm, with Thai-inspired design, three lagoon pools and overwater villas. It remained open through the 2026 wave of Dubai hotel closures.
Several villas have private infinity pools, and the resort is a quieter option than the Atlantis hotels.
How we valued it: Ranked on setting and privacy. No verified current rate was found.
8. Bab Al Shams Desert Resort: luxury, desert
Bab Al Shams (‘gateway to the sun’) is a desert resort built as an Arabian fort around an oasis, with 115 rooms and suites in courtyard clusters. It is about 45 minutes from Dubai airport, according to the hotel’s own description.
Pick it for an overnight desert experience with an open-air Arabic restaurant.
How we valued it: Scored on atmosphere. Room count and distance come from the hotel’s description.
9. Melia Desert Palm: luxury, villa-led
Desert Palm, formerly run by Per AQUUM, is now managed by Melia and still sits on a championship polo estate with suites and pool villas among green fields. Guests can watch polo or ride horses on the grounds.
Its low-key, villa-style feel suits couples who want privacy over nightlife.
How we valued it: Judged on privacy and setting. The change of operator comes from trade reporting, and we have no verified rate.
10. Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara: luxury to ultra-luxury, Abu Dhabi emirate
Qasr Al Sarab is a fort-style resort in the Liwa desert at the edge of the Empty Quarter. It is not in Dubai: it belongs to Abu Dhabi emirate and takes real travel time to reach, so book it as a destination, not a city hotel.
Private villas with plunge pools, four dining venues and a spa make it the most remote pick on the list.
How we valued it: Based on setting. Included for travellers combining Dubai with a desert stay.
Closed or changed: places that left the list
Burj Al Arab Jumeirah: closed for restoration until about October 2027
The hotel with 198 suites and the sail-shaped silhouette closed in April 2026 for an 18-month restoration led by architect Tristan Auer, with reopening expected around October 2027. Reports say 70 to 80 percent of the existing decor will be kept and restored. Until then guests cannot check in. When it returns it will go straight back into our top three. Official page: Burj Al Arab on Jumeirah.com.
The Meydan Hotel: dropped
We could not confirm the current status or standard of the racecourse hotel, so it is no longer ranked.
Other 2026 closures to know
Park Hyatt Dubai closed in May 2026 for a renovation expected to end in November 2026, and Armani Hotel Dubai has been closed for refurbishment since April 2026. Anantara World Islands closed permanently in April 2026.
Keep reading
- Best hotels in Paris: the same ranking for the other great luxury city break
- Best hotels in Miami: a beach alternative
- Best luxury hotels in Cape Town: another warm-weather option
FAQ
What is the best hotel in Dubai in 2026?
Atlantis The Royal tops our list, followed by Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab and Jumeirah Al Qasr.
Is the Burj Al Arab open in 2026?
No. It closed in April 2026 for an 18-month restoration and is expected to reopen around October 2027.
Which Dubai hotel is best for families?
Atlantis The Palm, with its Aquaventure water park, aquarium and many restaurants, is our family pick.
How much does a luxury hotel in Dubai cost?
Dubai’s citywide average daily room rate was about AED 746 in 2025. Ultra-luxury hotels such as Atlantis The Royal can cost over $1,000 a night in season.
Is Qasr Al Sarab in Dubai?
No. It is in the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi emirate, so it works as a separate desert trip.
Which new Dubai hotel opened recently?
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab opened in March 2025 beside the Burj Al Arab with 386 rooms and suites.
How we put this list together
We rank hotels on setting, room quality, service tier and value, using the hotels’ own descriptions and dated 2026 reporting. Prices are shown as tiers because rates change by season and we only quote figures we could date.
Last updated: October 2026.
