What to look for when choosing a hotel in the UAE. What you need to know about hotels in the UAE? How to choose the perfect hotel for your holiday in the UAE?
6 nuances of choosing a hotel in the UAE
Despite the fact that the quality of service in the UAE is at a very high level, there are a lot of nuances that you should consider if you are planning your vacation in the UAE. We will look at 6 nuances that your tourism manager should pay attention to.
Beaches in the UAE
Most hotels in Dubai (except for the expensive “fives”, which are located on the first line of the mainland or on the Palm) do not have their own beach. At the same time, almost all hotels provide a free shuttle to one of the public beaches. The best of them are Jumeira Open Beach and Jumeira Beach Residence.
Deira hotels most often make a transfer to Mamzar beach, it is not very good, and besides, it is paid (5 dirhams for entry).
Public beaches in Dubai are not equipped, and if they have beach equipment for rent, they are very expensive (for example, at Jumeira Beach Residence, a day of renting a sun lounger, mattress, umbrella and towel costs about $60). Therefore, pay attention to whether your hotel provides rental of these things, and if so, is it free or for money.
Deposit
Most hotels in Dubai require a cash deposit upon check-in. This is a normal practice, but unusual for our tourists, brought up by All inclusiv.
The deposit usually ranges from AED 100 to AED 500 per day per room. Its convenience lies in the fact that you can use all the services of the hotel without constantly carrying money with you: you just write to the number.
In this case, most often the size of the deposit can be discussed upon arrival or even replaced with a passport. If you categorically do not want to leave it, then most likely the hotel will not conflict, but will allow you to do this. But be prepared for the fact that in this case the mini-bar will most likely be closed to you, and drinks in restaurants will only be brought after payment.
Dinner and supper
If you have chosen the HB meal type – breakfast and dinner – be aware that most hotels allow you to freely change dinners for lunches. In expensive hotels, this can be done even without warning – just come to the restaurant and that’s it. In hotels simpler – by prior notice.
This is convenient if you have planned an excursion for the evening, but do not want to lose the paid meal.
Transfers to malls
Shopping is the national sport of the Emirates. Surely you are planning to buy something for yourself in one of the branded stores of the famous Dubai Mall of Emirates or Dubai Mall.
Please note that all decent hotels in Dubai provide a free shuttle service to one or more malls. In expensive hotels, these transfers leave every hour, in simpler ones – two or three times a day.
Weak wi-fi
Honestly, what I did not expect to see in the Emirates was problems with the Internet. However, this is true for almost all non-luxury hotels: the Internet is either paid or bad. In the expensive “fives”, thank God, everything is fine, but the minority still stops in them.
If you need to constantly stay connected during your vacation, I recommend reading reviews about a particular hotel in this regard. Ignore if the hotel itself says “free internet” to itself. It may be free, but it’s very, very weak.
Dirty windows
Well, and finally, advice for those who will already arrive in the Emirates. If your hotel has dirty windows, don’t be alarmed.
The fact is that sandstorms constantly occur there, and besides, the design of windows in high-rise hotels is such that they do not open for safety reasons. Therefore, washing windows is a whole problem, they do it infrequently. Just be aware of this feature of all Emirates hotels and in a couple of days you will not even notice it.