World’s first Warner Bros hotel opens in Abu Dhabi

The WB Abu Dhabi, the only hotel by Warner Bros, has opened its doors in the UAE.

On Thursday, the hotel on Yas Island hosted an opening extravaganza complete with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, a Batmobile and more.

The sleek five-star hotel is replete with nods to Warner Bros films and TV shows such as Harry Potter, Westworld, Superman, The Wizard of Oz, Looney Tunes and many others.

The famous fountain from the opening credits of Friends sits outside the hotel entrance, greeting visitors as they arrive. It was lit up for the first time on Thursday.

Pamela Lifford, president of Warner Bros consumer products, told guests that anyone checking-in would be reminded of the breadth and depth of Warner Bros’ characters over the years.

“From Batman to Bugs, from Casablanca to Caddyshack. To Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Chandler, how could you forget?

“Warner Bros continues to be known for its incredible storytelling and our characters inspire and make people laugh, we make people cry and tell beautiful stories and, as Ted Lasso would say, we also make people believe.”

Guests checking in can enjoy unique entertainment including towering digital pillars in the lobby that display revolving content created by Warner Bros, and a spiral staircase museum packed with scripts, film props, casting shots and more curated from the studio’s almost 100-year archives.

An interactive grand piano in the lobby is a replica of the self-playing one seen in Westworld and a sculpture of a stack of luggage at the front entrance has suitcases belonging to cherished Warner Bros characters Tweety, Wonder Woman and Bruce Wayne.

As expected, the family-friendly hotel also has lots to offer for children, including a supervised club complete with a “dive-in movie theatre” with miniature sunbeds, parasols and an open-air cinema-style screen. Children can also call their favourite Looney Tunes characters from their rooms, and wait for Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck to deliver milk and cookies.

Part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, the six-storey hotel’s rooms are all themed with guests sleeping in either The Vault rooms, featuring rarely-seen memorabilia; Script to Screen rooms which highlight famous films and TV shows from over the years; or Artist Confidential suites that showcase talents from behind and in-front of the cameras.

Each room is filled with more mementos from Warner Bros with framed pages of scripts such as The Great Gatsby and A Star is Born; classic billings and posters from shows and films; and comic books dating back through the years.

The rooms are spacious and each has a sofa area, Smeg fridge mini bar, a retro dial-up style telephone and a Marshall radio.

The 257-room hotel is just steps away from Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi and guests staying at the hotel get free tickets to the theme park.

On the hotel’s rooftop, there is a sparkling infinity pool with in-water sunloungers offering 360º views of the island, the Arabian Gulf and across to the city. There’s also a spa, fitness centre and family pool that’s home to The Matinee pool bar.

The Warner Bros theme continues at the hotel’s dining options. There’s an all-day dining restaurant Sidekicks, which has colourful decor, booth-style seats, speech balloon place mats and artwork from classic American 60s cartoon Wacky Races and Yogi Bear.

Downstairs on the lobby level, The Director’s Club is a swanky atmospheric steakhouse offering a good option for dinner.

The hotel is welcoming guests from Friday, November 12, with opening rates starting from Dh845. Reservations can be made at hilton.com

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