Citymax Hotel Al Barsha at the Mall
3-star hotel · Al Barsha First, Dubai
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in Dubai are rated 8.4 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 54% of Dubai hotels
- 78% of guest comments are praise
- 100% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 54% of Dubai hotels. Compared with 698 hotels in Dubai. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 78% of guest comments are praise. 266 praise, 76 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 100% of guest photos show no damage. 49 of 49 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $114 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $67
- 15 min walkto Mall of the Emirates station
- 195 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 49 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- Cleanliness50 praise · 7 complain
- Location50 praise · 1 complain
Against
- Quiet at night11 complain · 6 praise
- Complaints the hotel left unresolved18 of 195 guests
- Room size7 complain · 3 praise
- Parking13 of 195 guests
- Unexpected charges and refunds12 of 195 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
195 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: staff (112 guests).
Location501Strength
Citymax Hotel Al Barsha at the Mall is one of the better budget-friendly hotel options in Dubai if you want a central location without paying premium hotel prices.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Walking distance to mall of Emirates and metro station, we'll located in the heart of Al Barsha & everything you need is nearby, affordable hotel, clean & neat rooms, good services, supportive staffs & the food in the hotel is just amazing.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Location is near subway, but so far from beach.
Tripadvisor, March 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Cleanliness507Strength
Everything is well organized and clean,
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
We have very nice and memorable stay at city max near emirates mall have very good location whatever you need you can find very easy the room also very comfortable quiet and relaxing staff also very helpful specially housekeeping thanks
Tripadvisor, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The windows in the rooms were dirty, leaky, and very noisy (the seals didn't work and needed adjusting).
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Value163Mostly good
The rooms are clean and great for the price.
Google, October 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
They are very good for the price ,and they add water bottles every day , I would definitely come back again , nice ,clean rooms amazing location
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
A hotel cutting corners on essentials while charging guests is not “value” — it’s poor service.
Google, May 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Staff11233Mostly good
Many thanks and appreciation to Mahmoud for his excellent service, high morals, and wonderful attention to guests.
Tripadvisor, October 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The staff’s friendliness stood out, and their willingness to provide us with an early room was greatly appreciated.
Tripadvisor, February 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
One of the worst experience having here first time in city MAX specially the receptionist her name (Stella) She don’t know even how to talk to customer her face so rude and she’s talking so rude and no respect at all.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Food146Mostly good
Reaturants are also very good.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Very good service they know how to handle costumer .housekeeping awesome very fast and food also
Google, June 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Nice hotel, good price but food is not good all is very spicy and they dont know how to cook a ribeye.
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Breakfast105Mostly good
And the breakfast menu was loaded 😋.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
location was good & hotel was very clean, but breakfast option was very limited.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Pool53Mostly good
i am so happy and enjoy and relaxment i like his staff and cleaning everyday i like GYM Area Swimming Pool.
Tripadvisor, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The rooms are very clean and there is a swimming pool, it is also very clean, I really liked it, the metro and buses are nearby, a very convenient hotel
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Kind of sad that the pool was closed, tho it's undestadable but they should've put a note or something in the booking website so we did not expect it to be open (I booked the hotel bcos of the pool).
Google, April 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Quiet at night611Weak spot
At night it was very loud, making it hard to sleep or relax.
Google, May 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
High Noise Level which disturb the guest in night specially if some one have commitments for next morning.
Tripadvisor, November 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
Extremely noisy due to pub on ground floor.
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Room size37Weak spot
The rooms are very small, the internet is terrible, and the TV is tiny.
Google, August 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Its location is very convenient and excellent, but the rooms are small.
Google, June 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
The only complaint is that the rooms are a bit small.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: room condition, beds and views.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 6,714 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: complaints the hotel left unresolved, in 18 of 195 reviews.
Complaints the hotel left unresolved18 of 1951 in 11 reviews
However, there was zero response despite sending numerous emails to [email protected] and messages to their Facebook messenger!
Tripadvisor, December 2025, rated 2/5 by this guest
No parking available and when i asked to help me to find parking they said we can not.I paid for parking in another place.
Tripadvisor, June 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Parking13 of 1951 in 15 reviews
A group of four of us arrived to check into the hotel, but they wouldn’t let us into the parking lot; they said the hotel parking lot was full, which was very surprising to hear on a Tuesday in July.
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Problem with parking for 2 days I arrive in the hotel and I had to wait 2 hours until I parked in the hotel
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Unexpected charges and refunds12 of 1951 in 16 reviews
A room costs 99 dirhams, but the total comes to 155 dirhams.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
I paid AED 500 as a deposit, but I have still not received my refund after checking out.
Google, October 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
A booking not honoured9 of 1951 in 22 reviews
When I arrived there there was no room for me.
Google, May 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Were on ng from 2025 to 2026 - booked a room with a double bed, the manager refused to move in - shouted that no, only with one bed!
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom8 of 1951 in 24 reviews
Everything looked old and poorly maintained — the sink was clogged, and the bed was sagging and uncomfortable.
Tripadvisor, February 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
From the shower water flows to the floor, a hand towel is only one for two (the second one was requested - never hung), no toothbrushing kits, etc.
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Serious reports
5 in 195 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
A physical hazard4 of 195 reviews
When I tried to take a shower the water scalded me and I burnt my arm.
Booking network, July 2025, rated 2/10 by this guest
Nearly slipped over 3 times due to slippery floor!
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Someone fell ill1 of 195 reviews
2) I’ve only had breakfast once in this hotel, I got sick.
Tripadvisor, January 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
0 of the 49 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (0%).
Guests’ photos confirm: bar (4).
The hotel says it has no spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$114 is a typical night, from 329 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost the same as weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Feb 2027, $90Dearest month: May 2027, $117
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- clicktrip.com$96
- billabook.com$103
- tripening.com$117
- ae.bluepillow.com$153
- amimir.com$194
- bookcore.backhotelengine.com$213
- Agoda$213
- Booking.com$213
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
Mall of the Emirates station is 1.2 km away by road, about 15 minutes on foot. There are 2 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest shop: Brought Market grocery2 min walk141 m by road
- Nearest main road: Umm Suqeim Street533 m
- Nearest station: Mall of the Emirates15 min walk1.2 km by road
- The Burj Khalifa14.8 km
- The Gold Souk23.4 km
- Dubai airport33.5 km
- Dubai Marina42.3 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
3 room types, all 20 m².
- Twin Room with 20% off F&B20 m²Sleeps 2
- Double Room with 20% off F&B20 m²Sleeps 2
- Family Double Room20 m²Sleeps 3
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 8.6 out of 10. 54% of the 698 hotels in Dubai are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.4.
Every review site, out of 100
12 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 11 guests complain about noise.
If room size matters to you
Here, 7 of the 10 guests who mention room size complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in Dubai
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
195 reviews counted · 89 photos checked · updated 11 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 405 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 195 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 93 older, 4 in other languages and 113 with a score but no words.
- The hotel replied to 180 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 24 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 5 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 89 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 49 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.