Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 16, Edition 129

Here’s your latest edition of Dubai news, deals & tips, every Friday, in 10 mins or less.

Even though there’s hope and confidence increasing with the ceasefire, we’re still in an unprecedented situation and uncertain times.

Hence, this newsletter will continue to focus a bit narrower on specific topics, that may help you make informed decisions about future travel to Dubai and the UAE.

This week, for instance, a bit more context about Dubai hotels closing and reducing operations, because there’s a lack of clarity in some cases that is worth being aware of.

PS. You can always email me here also.

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Etihad Airways updated their travel waiver on 14 April, to cover travel dates up to and including 15 May.

It’s not as simple nor as clear as Emirates, but broadly it’s :-

This is the original link from Etihad Hub.

Additionally, Etihad are offering flexibility on ticket changes purchased between 08 March for travel up to 31 March 2027.

Date change fees are waived for the first change only, and fare differences may apply.

From 30 June 2026, American Express Membership Rewards will drop Etihad Guest as a points transfer partner.

So if you’re looking to move AmEx Membership Rewards into Etihad, do it by 29 June - or consider holding them and transferring via Marriott Bonvoy > Etihad Guest if the maths work for you.

MMI, one of the two main alcohol suppliers in Dubai, has launched a loyalty program - MMI Cheers Club.

It’s free to join for residents and tourists, and purchases earn ‘Corks’ (points) which can then be redeemed for rewards. Alcohol can be purchased in-store at MMI retail venues, or via delivery.

Note - your application may need a Dubai Liquor/Alcohol Licence, available for residents and tourists via the License DXB app (read more here) with Emirates ID/Passport.

The app can be downloaded via Google Play Store or Apple App Store, and it also includes a wide range of offers at over 50 restaurants including :-

As with any discount, deal or promotion - always shop around and compare.

For example, MMI are in My Emirates Pass for 10% discount at their stores, along with Le Clos, and also ENTERTAINER UAE (Buy One Get One Free or discount codes) for certain brands/packages.

Compare the options, i.e. if the discount is better value for you, or earning ‘Corks’ on purchase, or using ENTERTAINER UAE for discounts or Buy One Get One Free.

Likewise for the restaurants, it’s pretty common for a venue to be available for different offers across different platforms . McGettigans are also in My Emirates Pass for 20% discount.

🔗 MMI Cheers Club
🔗 MMI Home Delivery
🔗 MMI Stores

Following on from the feature last week about what the future may hold for Dubai hotels, the big news this week was Burj Al Arab announced it will temporarily close for up to 18 months to undergo an “extensive renovation project”.

It remains to be seen how this will pan out, as when the news broke initially to Reuters it wasn’t framed as a ‘closure’ - the copy on Sky News read “the company did not specify whether the hotel could be closed during the renovation”.

My guess would be, for the immediate future guests will be reallocated to alternative properties within the group, likely Madinat Jumeirah hotels, and I would not be surprised if there was some element of phased reopening once all the current situation settles down.

Time will tell how this pans out I guess. On one hand, I don’t envisage 100% of the hotel will be fully closed off without guests for the entire18 months, given how much of a draw the hotel is for Dubai in terms of prestige and revenue. However, as it’s been open for 25 years without any major refurbishment to date, it could be they decide to take the time to fully refresh and revitalise given its status as a local legend.

As we’re in uncertain times at present, and whilst we all know Dubai will come back strong, we don’t when it will start on the up or how quickly. It could be things get worse before they get better, and any budgets for renovations also have to be offset against loss of occupancy revenue - both for the hotels and the wider chains.

Also, as mentioned last week, some ‘cluster’ hotels (i.e. multiple properties in the same area) may choose to ‘consolidate’ operations. This could mean one hotel closing, or all guests moving to the same ‘area’, as it’s better for hotels to operate one property at 40% occupancy than two at 20%, as they can save on operational costs.

Whilst some hotels are quite open in announcing closures - such as Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort, which yesterday confirmed it had ceased operations - others are somewhat less forthcoming.

This happened on occasion during the pandemic, for whatever reason, a few hotels closed - even temporarily - yet still appeared to be open, posting content on social media and such like.

This seems to be the case with Rixos The Palm Dubai, as this post on Trip Advisor Forum suggests, where travellers booked to travel in the next few months noticed posts on social media saying the hotel was apparently closed.

I’d recommend reading that entire thread, not just because it saves me typing (and space!) here, but because it shows how fluid and unclear these situations can be. I had not seen any official announcement across the usual channels - local media, Google Maps, official hotel website, Trip Advisor and the like - but noticed the hotel’s social profiles were still publishing new content, seemingly as if it was open.

It’s worth noting at this point, the current situation is both uncertain and changeable, as well as being unprecedented, so it’s worth trying to see things from the hotel’s side.

I would imagine hotels are currently going day-by-day with their plans and operations, especially with the current ceasefire in place until mid-next week an positive ‘mood music’ around with regards to de-escalation. Some hotels may be operating, albeit on a low occupancy and maybe with ‘skeleton’ staff and operations, whilst other hotels may have relocated guests (such as what Rixos have done with their sister property Rixos Premium Dubai).

The first thing to bear in mind is whatever the situation may be today, it may change tomorrow. The second thing is, there’s no fixed date when things may be back to ‘normal’.

I don’t doubt in the situation above, the hotel is keen to reopen as soon as they decide they can do, and it be worthwhile to do so. Some hotels such as Park Hyatt Dubai have already taken the opportunity to bring forward what they deem as a refurbishment, which effectively writes off the immediate few months, with a tentative opening date of November.

Bearing in mind the ‘usual’ hotel pricing of Dubai hotels drops mid-May through to mid-September, if hotels are facing much lower occupancy and an uncertain point in time when tourist numbers may start to return, one can see the sense in ‘bringing forward’ a period of closure that may usually happen in the off-season (July, August) and ‘writing off’ guest revenue, with a view to returning stronger. Just as mentioned with the Burj al Arab previously, it could be an opportunity to do refurbishment that they may struggle to do if they had ‘normal’ occupancy levels.

However, in the case of a hotel such as Rixos The Palm, it would have had quite a number of bookings now through the summer, as it’s one of the few ’true’ All-Inclusive resorts in Dubai, so they have an even sharper focus on revenue versus operation costs.

For instance, if they were to open and occupancy was only 20%, they have a reputation and service levels to maintain for the guests, who would notice any cutbacks in operations or service operations. So is it better for them to temporarily close, relocate guests to an alternative property, even if they have to make goodwill gestures or service recoveries?

After all, there’s a lot of confidence around presently, so it could well be, they plan to reopen soon, especially if there’s significant positive progress in the conflict.

Then there is the other matter when it comes to hotels - ‘open’ is subjective. A hotel fully open (i.e. all restaurants, fully staffed, with all facilities operational e.g. pools and club lounges) is different than one partially open - think of a new hotel in a ‘soft’ or ‘soft soft’ opening phase. Whilst both hotels could claim to be ‘open’, one is significantly more ‘open’ than the other.

The challenge in situations such as the one faced by the travellers in that Forum post is managing expectations of their future stay, compared to what the current situation is.

It could well be, that by the time they travel, the hotel is fully operational and no noticeable change in reality compared to what they expect from their booking. So it may not be a case of ‘panic stations’ right now, although there is still the case that the hotel and agents have not made any official announcement to them.

As mentioned previously, this could be for a number of reasons, and not necessarily nefarious or malicious. After all, what a hotel is doing in March and April could be argued from one angle as not being relative to what they may do in June or July.

So my advice is the same as it always is in these matters - do your own ‘due diligence’ and go to the source for your information; not social media, not forums or anything else. And without a doubt, the best method for this is calling - not email, not DMs, not social media comments.

When you call someone, you have far more chance of a better response - you can judge tone, ask questions, gauge reactions etc. whereas with an email, if it is indeed answered, may very well be a stock answer.

Also, why put yourself through weeks of uncertainty, taking ‘advice’ from social media over weeks - that may or may not be accurate or objective or up-to-date - when, as I did, you can get the answer to all your questions in less than nine minutes with one call for the cost of a few quid? (£9 as it turned out).

Imagine if you were in the situation of potentially being relocated from one of the best All-Inclusive beach resorts in Dubai, to a ‘lesser’ non-beach hotel. Even if they offered some compensation (a ‘service recovery’) or other goodwill gestures, it’s reasonable to think your ‘received value’ is somewhat less than your ‘perceived value’ to what you booked, I’d suggest?

This is why calling a hotel is so powerful. As you will see in that thread from the Forum, I give advice to one of the affected travellers about who to call and speak, and a few suggestions what to ask. From the answers given, it’s far easier to make a balanced decision what to do next.

A point to consider here, in terms of balance, is staying in a quiet (i.e. low occupancy) hotel is not necessarily a bad thing. And this comes from someone who spent three months in South Africa on the ‘red list’! One positive outlook is - you tend to get looked after far well as there’s less distraction, and you feel a lot closer to the staff. It could well be ‘hard product’ is reduced (i.e. dining options, facilities, operations etc.) but you may form a closer bond with the staff as they appreciate your support and may have far more opportunity to show that to you.

There is a balance here in all of this whereby, it’s ‘nice to be nice’ and look to support hotels in challenging times, but at the same time, you’re still paying customers with expectations. Different hotels in Dubai may play the same situation in different ways, and Dubai does have an overwhelming number of hotel choices!

It’s not for me to suggest what to do, especially with other factors such as insurance, security, FCDO advice against non-essential travel, but all I would say to do is - get the best possible, objective, trusted, accurate information as possible to allow you to make an informed decision, and then base that decision on your ‘one thing’ (priority).

As an aside, I put a few good tips and a different ‘point of view’ about the potential opportunities the current low pricing with Dubai hotels may bring, again on Trip Advisor Forum - have a read here, it’s the last post on that thread.

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In the coming weeks, I’m opening up a new service - consulting, advice, strategy about all things travel, but especially Dubai.

So, if you want to know more about something Dubai-related, or have concerns or queries, or just uncertainty about the current situation and its impact on your travel plans, why not ‘pick my brains’?

Simply drop me a reply to this email, and if it’s something ‘quick and dirty’ I’ll gladly reply and try my best to help. If it’s something more detailed and nuanced, then we may need to discuss a more comprehensive window of time. The latter would bring a small cost, but I’d be confident it would deliver exponential value, even if it’s only peace of mind.

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