Tried & tested: Yas Viceroy

BACKGROUND For a city which continues to see more striking, landmark hotels shoot up by the month (see last week's 'tried & tested' of Hyatt Capital Gate), Yas Hotel got the ball rolling, at least out of town, when it announced its arrival in Abu Dhabi in October 2009. Last July, to boost its regional and international awareness, the hotel's management was handed over to Viceroy, marking the US company's first property in the Middle East, although it wasn't officially rebranded 'Yas Viceroy' until October.

To go with the brand overhaul, the lobby was refurbished by Poltrona Frau Emirates of Abu Dhabi - the company has also worked on Etihad's A340-600 Diamond first class suites - which has seen more distinct clusters in which guests can lounge or work. Other changes include an expanded greeting area, improved concierge facilities, and re-introduction of executive club suites which offer free access to the executive lounge, private check-in and checkout. Another significant change saw Oliver Bruns, formerly 10 years with Four Seasons, appointed hotel manager in December.

WHERE IS IT? Driving from Dubai, the website recommends taking the Yas Leisure Drive turn-off towards Saadiyat Island, but I stayed on the highway a bit further and pulled off at the airport turn-off which I think is marginally more direct; that said, it means you have to go through the Yas Tunnel where the speed is limited to an almost snail-like 40km/hour - it always raises a smile when I think of the racing drivers zooming by on the adjacent Yas Marina Circuit. Most business travellers will come this route from Abu Dhabi Airport, which is barely five minutes away.

I stopped at the security gate but the guard came out and waved me on. You pass over a small incline - with the track underneath - to the entrance, which felt slightly unassuming for the overall setting.

Its futuristic, horizontal white-come-silver lattice design is visible from the highway and despite the island seeing a number of hotels shoot up nearby, it remains Yas' flagship hotel - not least for its Beluga-esque design. The most eye-catching section - the bridge linking the hotel and marina wing, which traverses the track - is now internationally renowned, thanks to TV coverage of the F1. 

WHAT'S IT LIKE? Attributes include a spacious lobby, wide corridors, chic rooms, attractive spa and broad selection of restaurants. There are elements here which set a benchmark for modern hospitality (I'll come to them in the room section), and the whole racing track/marina-side location gives it a modern dynamism lacking in some of its more traditional counterparts. Staff uniforms look smart (bold purple and grey) and the hotel's exterior, lit up at night, is a great spectacle.

But the downside is the noise. I was there on a Friday, when the racing cars - and these weren't the ultra-powerful F1 cars either - were clearly audible for the best part of three hours from the room and another drawback, given the proximity to the airport, is it's directly on the flightpath - strangely the planes didn't bother me on the Friday, but they did Saturday morning. If you're a light-sleeping executive looking for peace and quiet, you'd be advised to pick your dates carefully.

The hotel gets full marks for targeting business travellers though - not every website has a dedicated page for executives - but in truth, its status means it will attract a fair amount of leisure trade all year round. The weekend I was there had golf and cricket going on in the city, as well as racing, so the hotel was busy.

THE ROOM Rooms are located from the 2nd to the 8th floors. I was booked into a deluxe suite (1729), located in the main tower, which I accessed effortlessly by smart card. The bathroom, on the left, was a touch compact for a suite, but featured a rainshower, separate toilet, circular sink bowl and bath. The large sliding door was a bit cumbersome but did the job of separating the bath/corridor areas from the bedroom.

What I really liked were some of the space-saving designs - no bedside tables or separate desks, as both had been blended in, the latter popping out from under the impressively integrated TV (I recall a similar one at the Kempinski Residences & Suites Doha). The large screen is embedded into the wall, although on a stand in executive suites. From your remote, you could do just about anything - select in-room service, access dining/restaurant info, check the news headlines (Reuters/Associated Press feeds), find out what you can do in Abu Dhabi, and check your bill.

Alongside a comfortable sofa, egg-shaped table and swivel lounge chair is a self-contained cupboard area for teas/coffees and minibar - which works on a sensor so when anything's taken, your account is deducted automatically (although strangely a member of staff did come in to check it which seemed a bit counterproductive). Soft drinks start from AED16, rising to AED40/45 for spirits.

At the end of the room is a fairly long, but narrow, terrace, overlooking the marina, track and Ferrari World in the distance. The view is broken by the succession of white diamond-shaped designs which shroud the exterior.

Deluxe suites span 100sqm, while standard rooms start from 54sqm and contain 42-inch LCD TVs. Executive and marina deluxe rooms have the same facilities as deluxe, but located in a different area (main building). A deluxe king room is pictured below.

ROOM FACILILTIES The desk area had five sockets built into it, and was accompanied by a sleek Jacob Jensen phone. Executives will warm to the free wifi (up to a week). When I logged on, a number of options quickly appeared on screen, and access was quick. Everything else you could need is available through the TV. Other pleasant features were the bedside 'touch' lights and drawers, which popped open when you pressed them.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS Under the watch of executive chef Michel Jost, Yas Viceroy has an 11-strong culinary offering, and the majority of them aren't far from reception on the ground floor. 

We dined on the terrace at the Asian Noodle Box - where you could hear soft strains of music from the Arabian Ateyeb restaurant - and enjoyed excellent dim sum, Balinese chicken, wrapped around lemongrass stalks, Indonesian noodles with baby chicken and Thai green curry, washed down with a couple of bottles of Tsingtao. Inside, the kitchen is semi-open-plan and dining area features golden strobe-like lighting.

A Japanese restaurant, Kazu, is directly opposite, and elsewhere you can choose from the Italian Amici, Indian Angar and Nautilus seafood (marina wing). Other venues include the Yas Louge, Skylite rooftop bar, Rush bar/club and Latitude & Longitude pool bars.

In the morning, I had breakfast at Origins (international) which, alongside cereals, juices, breads/pastries/cakes, had a help-yourself hot breakfast section as well as separate counters for cold cuts/cheeses/fish (salmon, mackerel, trout and kingfish), Arabic foods (moutabal/hummus), and wide range of yogurts. The hot section even had grilled steak and noodles. The leather chairs, a mix of lime green and white, were comfortable and you can eat outside on the large terrace if your prefer. When I asked for coffee, I was given a pot. Breakfast is also available in your room (eg two eggs any style AE35, and bakery, 3 pieces for AED30).

In conjunction with Gourmet Abu Dhabi, two Michelin-starred master chef, Mauro Uliass, will be resident at Nautilus between February 9-12 and from February 14-17, the Yas Lounge will host master Pâtissier Christina Tosi, the two Michelin-starred owner and chef of Momofuku Milk Bar.

BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES Level 2 has a reasonably spacious executive lounge with a mix of lounge chairs, coffee-making facilities, flatscreen TV, three terminals along the wall, photocopier and separate meeting room with six chairs (and enormous lampshade).

LEISURE FACILITIES To access the ESPA spa, you exit level 2 and walk across to the Marina wing - it's not every day you can say you've walked over a race track (though the windows looked like they could do with a clean). You enter a separate lift which takes you to the spa area; other features in this area include the Nautilus restaurant.

After a ginger tea in the spa reception area - which offered good views of the upmarket Allure by Cipriani club across the water - I walked up an attractive staircase, which has water trickling underneath, and turned left into the men's lounge, which again, looks out onto the track. I was directed through to the other side where, understandably, the treatment rooms are located away from the track and I was soon faced head down - with essential oils filtering up from water underneath - as my 50-minute fitness massage (AED375) got underway.

The massage was excellent, with hot stones and oils, but even here, amid the soothing music, I could hear the intermittent drone of the cars. Afterwards, I had 10 minutes in a strange-looking 'metronap' machine - I'm told 20 minutes in here is the equivalent of 8 hours' sleep; I had 10 minutes of the high-pitched sounds and didn't feel especially recharged; however, when I got back to the room I did feel quite sleepy, so perhaps it did work, or it might have just been the general end-of-week lethargy after the treatment.

The 9th floor infinity pool is pleasant enough, if a little small by many five-star Middle East standards. The numerous loungers and white on all sides made me feel I was on the top deck of a cruise liner.

VERDICT The Yas Viceroy feels definitely at home on the five-star circuit with modern rooms and strong F&B concepts - but beware of noise from the racing cars and planes.

FACT FILE

How many rooms? 499 rooms and incorporates a wide range of suites (deluxe, executive, marina, island, grand and presidential double storey)

Room highlights TV sets an integrated benchmark, large comfortable bed, quick and free wifi acccess.

Price There's a wealth of different rates and packages so it's easier if you click on the link below. For some ballpark budgeting, a deluxe twin costs AED1,100 for stays in mid-February, rising to AED1,900 for a deluxe suite.

Contact Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, PO Box 131808, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Reservations: +971 2 656 0700; Tel: +971 2 656 0000 viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/abudhabi

Dominic Ellis