Hotels in Dubai can basically be broken down into three categories: beach, city and desert. When visiting Dubai for business, most people choose one of the hotels in the heart of the city because either they are attending a conference at a hotel downtown, or they need to be near the World Trade Center or the Dubai Convention Center. These hotels are all close to the airport and located in the business district. If you tire of sitting in meeting rooms, many of these hotels provide shuttles to the beach, or you can spend your free time in their world-class spas, restaurants, pools, or shopping malls.
If you need to be in the city center but would like to be near the water, choose a hotel on Dubai Creek. The creek comes in from the Persian Gulf and splits the city almost equally in two.