SO/Uptown | Pack your bags for a stay at Dubai’s most fashionable hotel

The award for Dubai’s newest, most exciting hotel opening of late 2023 goes to SO/ Uptown. While the SO/ collection of hotels has already seduced travellers in many cities across the world from Paris (and Emily even!) to Bangkok or soon in The Maldives, their UAE location signs their first exercise in the MENA region.
A hotel rooted in the world of Fashion, Dubai’s SO/ is located within the 340-metre-high Uptown Tower, designed by renowned architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill. The tower is planned to host premium commercial, leisure, and residential offering under one roof.*

In the city, SO/ operates under Ennismore, a creative hospitality company founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha, which entered a joint venture with group Accor in 2021.
A real jewel of design and exceptional decor, SO/ Uptown is the ideal place to relax away from the busyness of Downtown in what is called the “New Dubai.” JDEED packed its bags for a staycay and to tell you everything about why you’ll need to stay at SO/ Uptown at least once in your life.

Natelee Cocks specializes in Interior, Architecture, Product and Lifestyle photography. Using a blend of natural light, technical skills and an artistic eye.

Being on that side of Dubai coming from the Burj Khalifa area instantly feels like you’re switching to Holiday Mode. That feeling of relaxation hits right at the moment the car pulls over in SO/ Uptown’s driveway.

The lobby itself, designed and executed by APL and Capsule Arts, deserves an article on its own; super high ceilings, marble, incredible furniture we’d wanna take home, bold graphics…this is nothing like you’ve seen in Dubai – or dare we say the UAE – before.
We’ll soon understand that this fashion spirit is infused all over the hotel, from the pool to the rooms and the soon-to-become iconic Uptown Spa and Celeste lounge.

We’re greeted by an exceptionally kind and attentive staff that quickly grants us access to our room.  After a quick journey on two different elevators (which we were explained matters for ecological purposes) and a quick stop to discover different parts of the hotel, we reached our destination smoothly.

In the hallways, we observe Romans-inspired statues, graphic carpets and a splash of gold paint on the doors: we love the audacity of this decor, a breath of fresh air from you regular hotel corridors.

This picture and below, by Natelee Cocks

Natelee Cocks

The hotel features 188 design-led rooms and statement suites, offering panoramic views over the city, Ain Dubai and the Arabian Gulf’s pristine waters. As we enter our home for the night, the light coming through the numerous windows is such a welcomed feature: a bright space always being a plus.

We truly don’t know where to look between the marble finitions, the patterned sofa, the immense bathroom or perhaps our favourite part, a desk sheltered in the corner of the bedroom, positioned perfectly in front of a floor to ceiling window from where you can observe the Jumeirah Islands.
Not sure we’d be able to get much work done with such a view but we’d take it over another desk, any day.

The bed is as comfortable as it looks, and seem to be promising the 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep we weren’t able to score for a painful while.

After visiting the pool and grabbing a cocktail in the water, we freshened up and headed down to The Citronelle Club, an incredible restaurant mixing Pan-Asian and French cuisines that you can read more about here.

The hotel is really built in a way that you actually never want to leave the tower. After a glorious sleep, we headed down to breakfast which here is served a la carte –sorry buffet lovers!– and offers all the traditional items from avo toast to pancakes, fruit plates to cheese plates and arabic mezzeh.

Natelee Cocks

We’re truly sad to have to be leaving SO/ – but for those whose sadness is insurmontable, know that the top 28 floors of the Uptown Tower are home to 227 signature branded residences, which include one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and a spectacular penthouse, all designed in the style of the hotel. They also feature an indoor pool, a fully equipped gym, a kids club and creche, the Sky Lounge, and a versatile events space that you can transform into a private screening room for a super exclusive movie night to remember. You know, just in case you’d want to permanently move in.

Our next visit will have to include a treatment at the spa -which we heard was amazing – developed and run in partnership with the finest French luxury all-natural skincare, Anne Semonin Paris. 
But we had to leave a treat for stay number 2.

To book your stay at SO/ Uptown, click here

*Headquartered in Dubai, DMCC is the world’s most interconnected Free Zone, and the leading trade and enterprise hub for commodities. Whether developing vibrant neighbourhoods with world-class property like Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai, or delivering high performance business services, DMCC provides everything its dynamic community needs to live, work and thrive. Made for Trade, DMCC is proud to sustain and grow Dubai’s position as the place to be for global trade today and long into the future. www.dmcc.ae