22/04/2025
As part of some ongoing research into how luxury is evolving — what’s next, what’s noise, what’s genuinely moving things forward - I recently stayed at The Lana in Dubai. Number 23 on the World’s 50 Best Hotels list, and Dorchester Collection’s first move into the Middle East, it feels like a bit of a statement. Not loud. Not showy. But quietly certain of its place.
Opened in 2024 on Marasi Bay Marina, The Lana is built for a different pace. It trades in elegance, not excess. Less “look at me,” more IYKYK. The design has that soft Dorchester hand: pinks, whites, a thread of deep claret running through everything from the bellmen’s top hats to the afternoon tea. Rooms bring the tone down even further - rose quartz, marble, velvet, skyline views, Buckingham Palace mattresses (because why not).
It’s still Dubai, so the food lineup lands big: Riviera by Jean Imbert, rooftop bar High Society, Jara by Martín Berasategui — with China Tang on the way. All of it considered, nothing feeling like a bolt-on.
The Dior Spa is here too (and impossible to book, which of course makes you want it more). Rooftop pool, skyline front and centre. But mostly The Lana feels like a hotel that knows the value of restraint. Confident enough to let the work speak for itself.
