Inside Dorchester Collection’s new luxury Lana hotel in Dubai

The United Arab Emirate of Dubai is forever making headlines for its hyperbolic endeavors: the world’s tallest skyscraper, the first indoor ski slope in the Middle East, the region’s largest mall. In this desert city — one of the fastest-growing in the world, where 88% of the population is foreign-born — the conventional wisdom has long held that the more gilded, the more encrusted, the more bedazzled, the more luxurious. But all that is about to change with the opening of the Dorchester’s Lana hotel.

In 2012, Mahdi Amjad had a modern vision for his adopted country. (He was born in Iraq.) As Dubai matured into an international hub of business and leisure, the developer believed that so, too, would the tastes of its residents. After the global financial crisis had passed, the government dredged a canal from Dubai Creek east, to the downtown location of a planned (and scrapped) military base. The extension enabled the development of a new neighborhood, the Marasi Bay Marina in Business Bay, anchored by a lagoon directly across from Burj Khalifa (the aforementioned world’s tallest skyscraper) and the “cultural” hub known as the Dubai Mall (which proclaimed itself the world’s most visited place in 2023). Cranes went up — and with them, Amjad’s first step toward building an upscale hotel that would defy the bling that dominates every other retreat in town, from the Palm Jumeirah to the Burj Al Arab.

Amjad scoured the planet for a partner who shared his vision, eventually joining forces with London’s eminently elegant Dorchester Collection hotel group. “I come from a residential background, so I’m always thinking about the living spaces first, even in a hotel,” says Amjad, who’s the founder and executive chairman of the UAE development company Omniyat. “It doesn’t matter how exceptional a building you create. If you don’t have an exceptional level of service, you don’t have an exceptional living experience.” And boy did the Dorchester deliver.

Guests at the Lana — the Dorchester Collection’s 10th hotel and its first in the Middle East — enter through a porte cochere, where morning suit-adorned doormen in top hats offer a gloved hand to help them alight from the property’s custom Rolls-Royces. Inside the 104-room, 121-suite stay, they’re greeted in the Gallery (aka the Lobby) by sandy hues that reflect the Arabian Desert — and zero garish gold. 

The luxury here lies not in the gilding but in the textures, the artwork, the craftsmanship and the amenities. Foster + Partners designed the stunning building, and though it swoops and teeters and frames every enviable view of the city, it remains understated and graceful. French hotshot designers Gilles & Boissier layered in a four-story curtain chandelier, coffered ceilings, trolley-only bar service, intricate tile work and pink banquettes for afternoon tea. 

A reflective undulating ceiling makes everyone look gorgeous at Jara, the hotel’s Basque restaurant (another first for Dubai), masterminded by 12-Michelin-star chef Martín Berasategui, using wood-fire techniques. He’s in good company: France’s rock star chef Jean Imbert helms the hotel’s Côte d’Azur-inspired restaurant, Riviera, on the fourth floor, and High Society, an infinity pool with an adjacent cocktail bar on the 30th-floor roof, influenced by ancient kingdoms who worshipped the sun. On the ground floor, World Pastry Champion Angelo Musa bakes mind-blowing tarte tatin that might best those on the menu at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, where he is executive pastry chef. There’s even a speakeasy where the bar manager can infuse whiskey into your favorite cigar for your next visit.

But where the Lana truly departs from the pack is in its expansive guest rooms. No detail has been overlooked: the freestanding tubs with views, the Vispring beds (just like the British royals sleep in), the custom-color Dyson hair dryers in the suites, the floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies (even in entry-level rooms) and an amenity we’ve never seen in any hotel anywhere: an electric double watch-winder. (We see you, Hublot lovers!) You’d be tempted to never leave the spacious rooms that start at 600 square feet, but the 29th-floor Dior Spa and gym await.

The Lana officially opened in February, and despite steep prices, the brand says it’s doing brisk business. (As are the adjacent full-service Residences.) It’s a distinct departure from the Atlantis and the Taj and Dubai’s other over-the-top beachfront resorts, but if this urban oasis can’t influence the design preferences of Emiratis and expats, we’re not sure what can. European snobs are already sold. “It’s so beautiful, it’s like a dream,” French pastry chef Musa tells Alexa. “I wanted to cry when it opened.”

You probably won’t cry, but you may recalibrate your feelings about this rapidly growing Emirate and its new approach to luxury. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself booking a return trip to the desert oasis even before you check out. Dubai, it seems, has come a long way, baby. And the Lana is leading the way. Rooms from $925; Dorchester Collection