Bedroom was dark, dingy, depressing and didn't smell great. The internet connection was dial-up so, unless they fitted broadband since, no use for the business traveller. Breakfast was about OK, Italian is a kind of pizza restaurant, Aussie bar great, and a Keralese curry house which is spot on. Located on a noisy roundabout within walking distance of nowhere.

Staff were pleasant enough but overall quite depressing and not a place you would want spend a lot of time in. Interestingly though, they had the EvertonFC TV channel which was a nice surprise.

Might go back to the curry house.

My husband, 2 year old son, and I stayed at the Rydges Plaza in Dubai for one night in August on the way to the UK from Melbourne in a Deluxe Room, and then 3 nights in an Executive Room on the way back home to Melbourne in September. We found the Rydges to be a great hotel, which although was a little dated in it's decor, was clean, comfortable and central to everything that we wanted to do in Dubai. The staff were sensational (they seemed to love our son!), the breakfasts were great value, the restaurants reasonable and it was a great place to relax by the pool and recharge the batteries after a long flight. I would recommend the Executive Room as you are entitled to free drinks and canapes each night, and the rooms are larger also.
We only had 2 minor problems - first being the courtesy bus seemed to miss picking us up both times that we arrived into Dubai airport, meaning we had to take a taxi. And secondly, it seems the 'scam' that previous readers had come across regarding mini-bar was also tried on us - but we point blank refused to pay for this charge, and it wasn't processed.
Apart from that, I would recommend this hotel and we will stay here again when we return to Dubai.

Stayed here for four nights after travelling back from the Maldives in Nov 06. First impressions were ok but that is probably after the excellent accomodation we had in the Maldives, saying that it grew on us very quickly and we thought it was also excellent by the time we checked out. Staff very friendly and helpful, everywhere clean and tidy, breakfast was super, food and drink taken in the St Andrews bar no dearer than London. We took the courtesy bus to the beach literally a five minute drive, and when it was time to leave it was there sitting waiting for us, fantastic . If you are planning to stay in Dubai i would recommend this hotel, its location is great and it is easy to get anywhere quickly depending on the time of day.

I stayed at the Rydges Plaza for five nights and loved it. I liked the fact that it is so close to a residential area, the local shops were so much cheaper than the malls.
I tried several of the restaurants and had fantastic meals every time. Room service and the buffet breakfasts were also way above what I expected.
I found all the staff friendly and very helpful and the service became more personal after a few days. The pool was never busy, in fact there were never many people around, except in the restaurants. The laundry service was reasonably priced and so efficient I was tempted to do all my washing before leaving! The free internet was another bonus.

It's not a hotel for those looking for luxury in Dubai, but you get what you pay for and if you want a small, friendly base where you can explore from it's perfect.