Inside The Lana, Dubai’s New Parisian-Style Hotel

Among the cadre of high-octane, high-glitz hotels in Dubai, The Lana feels like an outlier. It’s not short on luxury, but here, it’s a softer variety, not in-your-face and never over-the-top but still impressive with an upmarket gallery-like air, feminine design accents, and soaring proportions care of French design duo Gilles & Boissier.

Taking up residence in a 30-floor new build overlooking the yachts of Marasi Bay Marina and the futuristic downtown skyline punctuated by the Burj Khalifa, the hot new hotel is part of the Dorchester Collection, which includes icons like The Beverly Hills Hotel, Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, and The Dorchester in London.

With top-hatted doormen, supersized displays of pink tea roses, and toweringarchways, the lobby makes a definitive first impression and sets a gentle—and genteel—tone. Have afternoon tea with a live pianist and Marie-Antoinette-worthy cakes by dessert designer du jour Angelo Musa or tuck yourself away in the wood-panelled bar nook Bitter Honey, where cocktails are served by trolley. Outside sprawls a pretty veranda of macramé parasols and garden trellises. No matter which area you choose, it’s immaculately designed.

Upstairs, The Lana’s 225 guest rooms are stylish without feeling faddish. It is true modern-classic styling, with timeless wood panelling, plush inlaid carpet, and elegant marble bathrooms, punctuated with snow-white orchids and bespoke toiletries emitting scents of jasmine and cedarwood.

On the 30th floor, the infinity pool and rooftop cocktail lounge have already become the place to be for preprandial sunset drinks. From there, it’s off to dinner, and The Lana has gourmands covered with big-name restaurants to choose from. With indoor/outdoor dining, Riviera arrives by way of buzzy chef Jean Imbert. With sun-kissed Côte d’Azur plates like sea bream with confit lemon, ratatouille tart, and glossy spaghetti with carabinero prawns fresh from the Mediterranean, dining is a seaside escape for your palate.

Jara, by the star-studded Spanish chef Martín Berasategui, whose restaurants have amassed 12 Michelin stars throughout his career, is Dubai’s first Spanish restaurant serving dishes from the Basque Country and includes lots of open-fire cooking. Named after the Basque wine region, Txakolina is an invitation-only, speakeasy-style lounge for listening to laid-back vinyl records and enjoying whisky-infused cigars.

Dorchester Collection doesn’t skimp in the wellness department, and a Parisian-chic Dior Spa is expected to debut in April, the first Dior spa in the country. Set on the 29th floor in The Lana, the light-filled space will include five treatment suites and one couple’s suite and offer signature experiences like an opulent Dior Stone Therapy treatment, using semiprecious stones such as sapphire crystals on the body and face.