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An article posted by the National newspaper website with a headline "Hotels say occupancy buoyant" and few other local newspapers reported the same early last week claiming luxury 5-star hotels in Dubai are doing very well this festive season with few hotels claiming over 90%!!!! I am surprised!

I don't want to tag this article as "crap" but as a hotelier myself and my fellow friends who work in various "iconic" 5-star hotels in Dubai claim otherwise. infact the highest rate was reported by one of my friends is 50% and the hotel is just so happy about it!!!

“I don’t believe that there will be any drop in five-star occupancy levels because a lot of people have booked and paid for their holiday months in advance,” said Aloke Dey, the manager of Sharaf Travel Holidays, one of the largest Dubai-based tour operators.

Said who??? So this manager claims Dubai not having any tourist drop and the hotel rooms are booked!!! what about the 5-star hotels which I and my friends work for that average about 33% occupancy this month???

A major 5-star hotel (which I will not name it) is offering its staff deluxe rooms over the weekend for only AED 150. I think this is a clear indication how the Christmas weekend was like in Dubai for Hotels!

I am sure, some hotels are doing better than others, specially the leisure hotels however, the business hotels are officially struggling this quarter.

I personally feel like the article posted by the "National" is just another bubble article to give an indication that Dubai is doing fine!!!! but we all know the truth.

sharfraz wrote:unnamed major 5 star hotel in dubai
staff deluxe room for AED 150

whereabouts???

bedro wrote:Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.

Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain

bedro wrote:Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.

Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain

sage & onion wrote:

bedro wrote:Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.

Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain

150 per night is currently about half what you would have to pay for an unfurnished studio flat. It's a bargain.

quatroporte wrote:you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...

Red Chief wrote:

quatroporte wrote:you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...

I can't agree. There are a lot of special offers around, but I am surprised that posh hotels offer them in a high season. So I guess that you are right about low occupancy.
At the other hand sometimes it's more easier to find better rate via travel agency.

quatroporte wrote:just to correct you...

5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public... there are standard prices we (hotels) can't sell the room for less because of many reasons... and one of them credibility... imagine our hotel announce to the public that the rooms are for only 300 AED or even 500 AED!!!!

at the moment with only 22% occupancy the walk-in-customer will pay 950 AED per night in the hotel I work for.... the same room is offered to staff for 150AED...

you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...

quatroporte wrote:

bedro wrote:Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.

Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain

just to correct you...

5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public...

bedro wrote:Many hotels used to play that game and tell the walk-in customers they have no standard rooms available to force them book a suit or an executive room. Hope that'd change now

bedro wrote:

quatroporte wrote:

bedro wrote:Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.

Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain

just to correct you...

5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public...

By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays

quatroporte wrote:I apologize for my misinterpretation.

and yes the 150 is a bargain... I am not married and recently broke up with GF... so nobody to go out with those offers came out in a wrong time

bedro wrote: By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays

Red Chief wrote:

bedro wrote: By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays

They are. There have been special offers each week permanetly during a few months in some hotels. So it looks like regular prices indeed.

Red Chief wrote:It does due to a real crisis in Russia and... KSA

I'm talking about beach hotels only.

bedro wrote:I agree with Red Chief, I had a couple of friends coming from Germany and guess what; They wanted to get certain brands for glasses and perfumes and they found it more expensive in Dubai than Germany

Not to mention that Dubai is tax-free and customs are minor. But guess the rent on city center or mall of the emirates would cover 'em all :D:D

Another friend from the UK told me that laptops in Dubai are expensive as well. I wonder what's left on the shopping/leisure heaven list...

bedro wrote:
Another friend from the UK told me that laptops in Dubai are expensive as well. I wonder what's left on the shopping/leisure heaven list...