We had a lovely stay at Courtyard by Marriott, World Trade Center Abu Dhabi last weekend. The hotel is located right next to World Trade Center Abu Dhabi, as the name suggests. We got there, were helped with our luggage and then went to check-in. The decor of the hotel is minimalistic elegance; very clean and modern.

After getting our keys, we headed up to our room on the 11th floor.

From our room, we had a view of the central courtyard area and since we were on the highest floor of hotel rooms, we had a view of some of the city as well!

When we first entered the room, there is a corridor lined with the closet on one side. The closet space is ginormous– I mean, just look at this:

In that same area there is a small corner which is equipped with a kettle, cups, coffees and teas.

The room itself is decorated with light-colored wood and beige, along with lively orange accents. The center of the room has a king-sized bed, two nightstands, and two large comfortable chairs in opposite sides of the room. One chair has an ottoman, while the other has a small coffee table next to it.

There is also a work desk, swivel chair and TV. Under the work desk area, there is a mini fridge filled with drinks, as well as a small snacks corner.

The bathroom is right across from the closet area, and has the essentials of a sink, stand-alone shower, toilet and bidet. The bath products provided are bergamot and lemongrass-scented. The staff are kind enough to leave dental kits, lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, and a shaving kit.

Our luggage soon came up and I headed downstairs with my little Khalifa to browse through the mall. Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Center Souk and Mall is actually attached to the hotel– and I must say, I’ve never been to a hotel attached to a mall that I didn’t like! Especially when the mall is super cool, new and has so many shops. What’s also great about this mall is that there are so many activities for kids, so if your staying with little ones at Courtyard by Marriott WTC, you’ll have very easy access to entertainment for you and them!

After strolling through the mall for a bit, we grabbed dinner from one of their many restaurants. Then we headed down to the grocery store inside the mall and got a few essentials before heading back to the hotel. Once we were back in our room, I put Khalifa to sleep and flipped through the many movie channels on TV and relaxed.

I also took this time to connect to the WiFi provided for free by the hotel, which was also quite kind of them considering its a 4-star hotel. The WiFi works pretty well; it does have its down times where its a bit slower in the day time, but overall it was good.

Before we went to bed, we decided to check out the pool and bar area upstairs.

Day 2 

Our morning started off early, as we headed downstairs to breakfast at their Bistro restaurant. Khalifa and I went down by ourselves, while my husband slept in. The staff noticed that it was just me and the baby and they were so helpful with making sure I had everything I wanted. They even brought extra watermelon juice for Khalifa after seeing that he had gulped all of mine down!

The breakfast spread is really nice and there are so many different options, from Western, Arabic and Asian cuisines.

There’s also a table full of freshly squeezed juices. One thing that I especially love about it is that their juice glasses are so generous, unlike most hotels, where fresh juices are always served in small glasses.

Although its a buffet-style setting, the staff are incredibly attentive and were always checking on us. I ordered my usual cafe latte and they brought it perfectly made.

After breakfast, we headed upstairs to the 12th floor where the pool is a had a dip before heading back down to the room to rest.

After swimming, we put little Khalifa to bed, washed up and got ready for Friday Brunch at Bistro restaurant. Bistro was completely transformed for brunch. The variety of foods multiplied and it was a whole different setting from the way that it was at breakfast. We loved it and its such a great, affordable and delicious brunch– check out the full review of the brunch here: Friday Brunch at Bistro, Courtyard.

We were so stuffed from brunch that we headed up to relax for a bit and take a nap.

After our siesta, we headed downstairs through the hotel lobby, past the cafe, and to the mall.

We took the baby to a play area, located on the lower level of the mall and let him run and climb around for a bit. After he exhausted himself, we did a bit of shopping (because, hey, whats the point of staying right next to the mall if you’re not going to shop?! ), and then ate dinner. We thought about going to the movie theater, but that would have been a bit of a long stretch with a 1 year old.

By the time we were done exploring World Trade Center Mall, we were exhausted. We got back upstairs and our room was perfectly cleaned up, the bed looked great enough to dive in to… and that’s exactly what we did.

Day 3

The next morning started off with breakfast at Bistro. While most of the breakfast selection stayed similar to the day before, there were a few variations.

The food was just as delicious as it was before and the service was impeccable too. They remembered my cafe latte without me even having to ask, which was really impressive and thoughtful of the staff.

After breakfast, we headed upstairs and while my little one took his morning nap, I took a shower. Soon we were ready and packed up to go. I had to leave early to make a salon appointment in time, so my husband and Khalifa checked out by themselves. The staff were really helpful with taking down the bags and making sure that the car was ready to go.

We really liked our weekend stay at Courtyard by Marriott WTC. The hotel’s location is perfect for anyone who is staying in Abu Dhabi; its so central to everything, and the fact that its literally attached to one of Abu Dhabi’s newest malls is great for both tourists, business travelers and families.

I would definitely recommend the hotel, not only for the great location, but because its affordable, the rooms have everything you need, their Bistro restaurant is great for breakfast and buffets and the staff are very kind and helpful.

The price for one night in the room we stayed in (Guest Room-King Bed with breakfast and Wifi) is around 650 Dhs (December 2015). 

Ratings (0-5): 

• Location: 5
• Hotel Ambience: 4.5
• Staff (Friendliness and Helpfulness): 5
• Rooms: 4
• Room/Bath Products Provided: 3
• In-Room WiFi: 3.5 (Free and Sometimes Good, Sometimes Slow)
• Amenities: 4
• Housekeeping: 4.5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.2

To book at Courtyard by Marriott World Trade Center Abu Dhabi, call +971 (0) 2 698 2222.