Dubai’s Latest Breakthrough: A Luxury Hotel Tailored for Fitness Enthusiasts

The Dinogo Perspective

Dubai has transitioned from being synonymous with lavish indulgence and endless champagne brunches to embracing a more balanced, health-conscious lifestyle. Residents now often find themselves invited to bike rides, stand-up paddleboarding sessions, or beach runs on Saturdays, rather than just lengthy, extravagant lunches. This shift makes the debut of SIRO One Za’abeel in the city particularly well-timed.

SIRO is a new hotel brand introduced by Dubai’s Kerzner International, the parent company of Atlantis and One&Only resorts. It is designed around five biohacking pillars: fitness, recovery, nutrition, mindfulness, and sleep. With programming created in partnership with renowned athletes such as boxer Ramla Ali, yoga instructor Jonah Kest, and the AC Milan soccer team, the hotel aims to provide everything from comprehensive fitness resets to elite coaching for high-performance athletes, while also helping leisure and business travelers maintain their healthy routines while traveling. Following its Dubai opening, SIRO hotels are set to launch in Montenegro in 2025, with additional locations planned in Saudi Arabia and Mexico over the next four years.

Who is it designed for?

The name SIRO stands for strength, inclusivity, recovery, and originality. Zoe Wall, Kerzner’s vice president of wellness and SIRO, emphasizes that the hotel caters to everyone, not just elite athletes. “The luxury travel landscape is evolving, and travelers are now prioritizing health, fitness, and self-care,” she notes. “They don’t want to abandon their healthy habits while on the road or during hotel stays.”

Although I wouldn’t describe myself as particularly athletic, I strive to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Before visiting SIRO, I found the concept somewhat daunting and assumed it wouldn’t suit me. However, I quickly discovered that you don’t need to be an Olympian to take advantage of the hotel’s fitness programs and recovery amenities. You can tailor your experience to match your goals, whether you want to push hard or take it easy, allowing me to relax and enjoy my stay.

The location

Situated on the 30th to 37th floors of Dubai's tallest One Za’abeel towers, the hotel shares its space with the newly launched One&Only urban resort (occupying floors 38 to 53), private residences, and a selection of some of the city’s finest restaurants located on the Link, which is the world’s longest cantilever bridge topped with the stunning Tapasake swimming pool. Guests can reach Dubai International Airport in under 20 minutes by car, and it's just a five-minute drive to the Downtown area for shopping and dining. Additionally, the Dubai World Trade Centre is within walking distance. SIRO’s connection with One&Only One Za’abeel grants guests direct access to its 11 restaurants and bars.

The Accommodations

From the 495-square-foot SIRO Plus rooms to expansive 1,292-square-foot suites, SIRO offers 132 thoughtfully designed accommodations by Kerzner International and LW Design. These spaces are informed by scientific research and insights from experts, athletes, and health-focused travelers, aiming to create sleep-optimized environments that serve as personal wellness retreats, promoting rest and rejuvenation.

The color schemes feature soothing tones of sand, wheat, and honey, accented by vibrant ochre highlights. The mattresses are thermo-regulated, the beds are slightly extended to accommodate taller guests, and wooden ceiling fans provide a refreshing alternative to air-conditioning. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to flood the rooms, showcasing breathtaking views of the Dubai skyline. Each accommodation includes a recovery cabinet stocked with stretch bands, a yoga mat, a meditation cushion, an exercise ball, and a Swedish ladder. Soon, guests will also be able to control motorized blackout blinds and wake with natural light using the SIRO app. Minibars are filled with nutritious snacks and beverages like vegan protein powder, kombucha, and trail mix, along with a faucet providing hot and cold filtered water on demand.

The two types of suites—Fitness and Recovery—are perfect for guests looking to enhance their wellness journey within their own space, complete with private treatment rooms for recovery massages. Fitness Suites feature a boxing punchbag, free weights, a stationary bike, and a treadmill. My Recovery Suite offered ample room for stretching, meditation, and yoga, with the bathtub positioned next to the dining and work table instead of in a traditional bathroom. While I found this arrangement somewhat unusual and opted to shower in the bathroom to avoid wet footprints, Kerzner International’s director of design and interiors, Sarah Felch, explained that this setup aims to emphasize rest and relaxation as integral parts of daily life rather than mere afterthoughts. I often lounged in the incredibly comfortable jersey bathrobe, reminiscent of an oversized Rocky-style hoodie, while enjoying the views from the windows. All suites are corner suites, providing expansive vistas of nearby palaces, towering skyscrapers, and the Arabian Gulf in the distance.

Guests staying at SIRO enjoy complimentary group classes, a body composition analysis, laundry service for sportswear, and access to the Tapasake lap pool from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (After this time, usage is limited to hotel guests and day pass visitors, but SIRO guests can access the Bali-inspired garden pool on the fourth floor throughout their stay.) Those in suites also receive a personal training session, along with a 60-minute sports massage and a hot or cold recovery experience.

The Culinary Offerings

SIRO is not a wellness retreat, so there are no culinary limitations—unless you choose to have them. For guests interested in weight loss or mindful eating, in-house nutritionist Heeral Shivnani is available. As a clinical dietitian, Shivnani can develop personalized meal plans based on a questionnaire completed before arrival or through an on-site consultation and body analysis. My 50-minute nutrition biohacking session included a thorough evaluation of my medical and dietary history, preferences, and an in-depth look at my overall food psychology. This session provided valuable insights into my eating habits and nutritional gaps, significantly influencing my dietary choices since my visit.

The hotel’s close proximity to the restaurants and bars within One&Only One Za’abeel, including renowned establishments by chefs Anne-Sophie Pic, Tetsuya Wakuda, and Dabiz Muñoz, is enough to tempt anyone from their meal plans. Breakfast is served at Aelia, a restaurant shared with One&Only, located in the Link, where the breathtaking views are sure to energize even the most reluctant morning riser. Inside SIRO, the Refuel Bar offers a selection of nutritious snacks, shakes, and healthy grab-and-go options.

The Staff and Service

The staff were friendly, supportive, and well-informed. Everyone I encountered during my stay was eager to help me achieve my fitness and recovery objectives. The therapists were attentive and polite, while the trainers provided just the right amount of challenge without the intensity that can be off-putting in some gyms.

Accessibility Features

The hotel offers three premium SIRO rooms equipped with bedside and bathroom emergency buttons, accessible restrooms, and lower wardrobe spaces. Accessible bathrooms are available throughout the property, and the hotel features wide corridors and spacious lifts, making it accommodating for wheelchair users and guests with limited mobility.

Spa and Wellness Offerings

At the core of SIRO are fitness, wellness, and recovery, and the facilities are truly outstanding. Located on the 30th floor, the Fitness Lab spans over 9,500 square feet, featuring bright, spacious areas designed for guests to optimize their fitness potential, equipped with top-of-the-line Technogym equipment and energetic studios for both individual and group classes. The Experience Box zone hosts HIIT training and classes designed by professional athletes from Team SIRO.

A striking spiral staircase connects the fitness areas to the Recovery Lab one level above, symbolizing the essential link between fitness and recovery in everyday life. This is far from a typical spa experience focused solely on relaxation. Every treatment is purpose-driven, as I discovered with the Modular Massage I received from therapist Shabna, which included stretches aimed at fascia release, enhancing flexibility, and improving postural alignment. "This isn’t a relaxing massage," she cautioned before we began, and she was right. After an intense session of stretching and manipulation, I emerged feeling more flexible than ever, with improved neck mobility and a surge of energy.

The Recovery Lab offers a wide variety of results-oriented treatments, including compression therapy, electric muscle stimulation, high-frequency INDIBA therapy, vibroacoustic therapy from Welnamis, cryotherapy, the MLX i3 Dome, and IV infusions.