Family hotels: every ranking

Each list ranks Accor hotels in one city on what parents ask about first: the kids’ club, with the ages it takes and the hours it keeps; the rooms a family can share or connect, with their size; and the beach and pools, with their opening hours. In Best family hotels in Dubai, that means 12 hotels, from Palm Jumeirah resorts with their own sand to city towers a short walk from a metro station.

Every hotel gets a card with the reason for its place, its club ages and hours, its family rooms and its pool, one plain limit and a Book it if line naming the family it suits. Two charts at the top line the clubs up by opening hours and by age band, so you can see at a glance which club is still open at 19:30 and which clubs take a three-year-old. After the cards, a comparison table sets every hotel side by side and filters them: with a kids’ club, with a pool, with a kitchen, or by Accor segment.

Our pick is the hotel placed first in a list, the one we would book for the need that list covers. Only that hotel carries the label; every other hotel shows its rank instead, such as No. 7 in Best family hotels in Dubai.

In the Dubai family list, our pick is Sofitel Dubai The Palm. Its Kids Club takes ages 4 to 12 every day from 10:00 to 19:00, children under 12 stay and dine free, and the resort has 48 connecting rooms, 24 family apartments and 500 m of private beach. Its limits are printed beside its strengths: the dedicated Kids Club Pool was listed as temporarily closed, no water-park entry is included, and Downtown Dubai is about 30 minutes away by car.

First place does not mean first on every line. Fairmont The Palm takes children from 18 months and has the longest beach, 800 m, and Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk keeps its club open until 20:00. Read the Book it if line on each card before settling on the first one.

Start with your youngest child, because the age bands are where the hotels differ most. In Dubai, Fairmont The Palm takes children from 18 months, Raffles The Palm Dubai from 3 but only up to 8, and three Sofitels from 4 to 12. A family with a two-year-old and a nine-year-old has fewer choices than the ranks suggest: the Fairmont Falcons Kids' Club covers both ages, with under-3s charged and booked in advance, while Sofitel Dubai Downtown takes the toddler only with a guardian present.

Then set the club hours against your children’s day. A club that opens at 09:00, as at Sofitel Dubai Downtown, suits early risers; one that closes at 20:00, as at Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, suits families who eat late.

Last, read the rooms. Connecting rooms let parents reach the children without stepping into the corridor, and an apartment with a kitchen, as at Sofitel Dubai The Palm or Aparthotel Adagio Premium The Palm, lets you make breakfast and an early supper for the children. Where a card says not published, the hotel gives no figure: ask it in writing before you book.