Reasonable is the word in my opinion. The rooms are nice, I booked a studio, a spacious room with good place for a couch, a desk and a queen bed. Unfortunately, the spatial design in the room is at the expense of the bathroom, which is rather small. There's a small kitchen too, with a microwave and water boiler.
Breakfast is good both in quality and choice. Not great, but nothing to complain about. For dinner, you can probably better find a good restaurant elsewhere; the chicken tasted rubber and the rice was cold. Generally, the buffet isn't really appealing.
The personnel is very friendly, as almost in every hotel in Dubai. They jump forward to open doors, push elevator buttons and greet you on every occasion. It didn't appear annoying to me; they were just trying to be friendly and help.
Al Barsha is still very much in development; 3- and some 4-star hotels popping up here and there, and construction work going on from early morning till late at night. In between Dubai Marina and Jumeirah, there's not much to do in the direct neighborhood except for the mall. Fortunately, bus, tram and taxi are within range.