Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 26/w15

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 15, Edition 26

Eid Mubarak 🌙

May everyone have a blessed Eid, and especially the 9 day holiday 🥳

5 things worth knowing this week ⤵

💡TRAVEL TIP: Club Lounges in Dubai Hotel

🏨 Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Beach Resort Reflag?

🧳 Dubai Visitor Numbers Rise by 18%

🍽 Dubai Restaurant Week

💸 How to Save on Dubai Hotels With Luxury Escapes

If you enjoy this email, have any feedback or suggestions or just way to say 👋, feel free to drop me an email by clicking here 

TRAVEL TIP

Club/Executive Lounges in Dubai Hotels

If you’re thinking about booking a hotel in Dubai, it could be worth consider a Club, or Executive, booking.

Generally, a Club room is an upgraded room category that comes with added benefits. A Lounge is usually the biggest benefit, but often Club rooms are bigger, on a separate floor (or even their own wing such as Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre or Le Royal Meridien for instance). Some hotel chains may use terms such as “Gold” or otherwise, as the Fairmont Dubai does.

Think of it as like a roped-off VIP section in a club, to keep out the riff-raff and elevate your stay somewhat.

They can be a good way to eek more value, as often the Lounge will have nibbles during the day such as breakfast, high tea or canapes, and Happy Hour in the evening. Some may allow all-day access to tea, coffee, soft drinks etc. and they can be a good place to do work or just get away from the hubbub.

Club bookings are not just for business travellers or loyalty program elites (hence the term ‘Executive’), and some properties will have better or bigger facilities eg Grosvenor House or JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.

Lounges are often used to serve breakfast to loyalty program Elites, rather than attend in the main restaurant, and if you’re on a Club booking you may have to take your breakfast in the Lounge. This can be a good and bad thing - it’s often quieter and less hectic, but it may not have the range of offerings especially if you’re after made-to-order items like omelettes.

However, there are two sides of the Lounge story to consider:-

1. Some people book Club to chase value or to reduce spends (ie to get a few ‘free’ alcoholic drinks in the evening, or to make the most of whatever the spread is). Note - some lounges now restrict taking food out of the lounge due to abuse!

2. The converse is also true - to hotels, lounges are a loss leader and not a fixed, measurable benefit, and they’re often the first thing to be cut back on (e.g. opening times, amount of ‘free’ drinks, range of food offerings etc.).

As an example of (2), some American chain hotels are clamping down on lounges and in some cases, closing their lounges or charging for alcohol.

Of course, another way to get ‘Club’ access is to have status in loyalty programs, but unless you’re doing heaps of nights per year or attain status via credit cards or similar, for tourists it’s often more accessible to pay an uplift each stay. Costs may vary, but sometimes it’s anything from 10% upwards on an entry-level room category.

Advice

As a sweeping generalisation, I would generally not advocate having a Club Lounge as a ‘buyers need’ (i.e. something you make a decision on booking a hotel by) purely because they can be variable. In other words, don’t choose a hotel just on their Lounge, rather have it as ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘must have’.

However, with some due diligence you can mitigate the risk somewhat and hopefully enjoy the benefits.

If you are considering a Club or Executive booking, I would recommend you contact the hotel - ideally by phoning - first, and ask questions such as:-

• what time the lounge is open for?

• what food services it offers?

• what restrictions there may be (e.g. some lounges may not allow children or U-21s whilst alcohol is being served)?

• What is the capacity of the Lounge?

I wouldn’t suggest a Lounge’s food offerings will usually be enough to sustain the average person food-wise. Whilst they do offer value in some ways they generally won’t mean not needing to spend on additional meals.

Unless you’re one of the Tupperware lurkers snaffling all the spring rolls of course :c

One great recommendation (for drinkers especially)

There is one hotel I’m aware of in Dubai that’s ‘flipping the script’ a bit on Club Lounges, and it could be worth considering.

Atlantis Royal currently offers all-day drinks (well, 0700-2200), and the brands on offer are ‘high ticket’. So rather than drinking for two hours in the evening, you could get your drinks fill and maximise your savings.

Atlantis call their Club offering Royal Club, and you can check all the details here

Me personally, I’d definitely consider that - as I like a drink. Or more. Especially when I know each drink is leveraging value back in terms of drinking expensive brands, rather than house brands.

I’m not sure how long this may last. When Atlantis Royal first launched and was doing the media/PR trips, the menus in the lounge were outstanding. Even one or two of those drinks, and you’d be looking at 100-200 AED in value.

I was sure it wouldn’t last long, especially given the excessive influence accountants sometimes have on Dubai hotel operations. As at time of writing, it appears nothing has changed, so I’d be getting on this quickly while it lasts.

Finally, as always with these things - manage expectations. Do your due diligence and research, but if you’re booking months in advance, be aware that things may change.

🔗 Atlantis Royal Club

How was this article about Club Lounges in Dubai hotels?

Have you used a Club Lounge? If so, which one? Would you consider one?

👇👇 Have your say by commenting below 👇👇

DUBAI TOURISM

Dubai Visitor Numbers Rise by 18%

According to the latest report from Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), visitors to Dubai rose 18% to 3.67 million in the first two months of 2024 compared to 2023.

Western Europe provided the highest proportion, namely 773,000.

Dubai now has some 52,118 hotel rooms across 161 5 star properties, and is around 35% of the total hotel rooms.

The Average Daily Rate (ADR) rose to 664 AED, up from 609 AED in the corresponding period last year.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose 12% to 578 AED for the same period.

Hotel occupancy was around 87%.

Bear in mind the reporting period includes the ‘peak weeks’ around turn of New Year.

Read the official press release via WAM

HOTEL OFFERS

Why You Should Keep Your 👀 on Luxury Escapes

Now’s the time of year the deals start coming thick and fast for Dubai hotels, and a good place to check is Luxury Escapes.

I call sites like this ‘Selling Off Sites’ as they are sites where bulk deals are loaded, often because hotels may need a boost on bookings or just because they’re adding benefits on top of ‘just a room’. Often, if a hotel hasn’t taken off like expected, hotels dump inventory or incentivise offers on top of basic room rates, so decent deals can be had.

They often have Limited Time Lux Exclusives (I’ve posted a few on Eat Drink Stay Dubai and in previous editions of this newsletter), and these can be worth your attention but they may only be available for a limited time.

Be sure to check out all the different packages, as flights can be included and they also offer a variety of rate conditions, varying from breakfast through to Half Board or other add-on benefits.

If you’re looking for ‘just a room’ you may find better rates on OTAs, but if you fancy a few extras or benefits, have a gander at Luxury Escapes.

There are some decent offers on there at present, such as:-

• Sofitel Dubai The Palm - 3 nights from £599 Half Board, spa credit, early check-in and late checkout

• 25hours Dubai One Central - 3 nights from £299 in BF & dining credit

• Atlantis Royal - 5 nights from £2,089 inc BF, Aquaventure

• Jumeirah Zabeel Saray - 1 night from £122

• Atlantis The Palm - 1 night from £233

Note - although it’s a ‘member site’, it’s free to sign up to see all the offers.

Tip - sometimes it can be worth checking from another country (perhaps using a VPN) as the prices shown will depend on which domain you’re looking at. For instance, from UK prices will be shown in £ but by checking the US site it will show in $ which may work out better on exchange. Additionally, sometimes it shows better offers on one site/country than another.

Check out the Luxury Escapes Dubai Offers

HOTEL NEWS

Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Beach Resort Reflag?

According to Hilton Honors app, as of 01 May 24, Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Beach Resort will “cease to operate as a Hilton hotel”.

Screenshot below is from Hilton Honors app, and when I checked the property page on Hilton it showed an error.

I don’t know at this stage if this is a ‘reflag’ (changing to another brand) or a closure, but it could be worth being mindful given there’s a lot of PR spend and advertising promoting Ras Al Khaimah at present.

🔗 Hilton Ras al Khaimah Beach Resort

DUBAI TITBITS

14 Spots to Watch Eid al Fitr Fireworks

The UAE, especially Dubai, loves fireworks doesn’t it?

My tip would be Festival City. The normal light show there is pretty good and worth your time.

c/o (Khaleej Times)

When Jumeirah Emirates Towers Were the Tallest Buildings in Dubai

They tend to get a bit overlooked these days, but JET and the Boulevard are a nice place to hang out, either to eat or stay.

The hotel is Jumeirah (obvs) and it’s had a few refurbs of late, and could still be worth a punt at the right price.

c/o (The National)

Talking of Jumeirah hotels, is there’s still no opening date for Marsa al Arab. I’ve heard a few things - as there is always tittle-tattle when it comes to Dubai hotel openings - but the weirdest rumour I’m aware of is they could be opening the residences aspect before the hotel?

Ain Dubai May Actually Be ‘Opening Soon’?

Following on from last week’s reports of Ain Dubai spinning, it appears there has been a development.

Well, if you count a speculative comment such as “it may open within the next few months”’ from a spokesman as a ‘development’. 😉

c/o (Arab News)

Dubai Marina Water Taxi for 7 AED During Eid

As well as abra rides across the Creek, another great way to view Dubai from the water is the Dubai Marina Water Taxi.

During Eid, fares are only 7 AED and you can see Bluewaters, Marina Mall, Marina Walk and Marina Promenade.

c/o (Gulf News)

15 Set Menus from 125 AED to Try This Dubai Restaurant Week

Dubai Restaurant Week 2024 runs from 26 Apr - 12 May (yeah, check the maths!), as part of Dubai Food Festival.

What’s On have listed 15 set menus they recommend, starting from 125 AED.

Here is the full list of all 60 participating restaurants, via Visit Dubai

c/o (Whats On)

ENTERTAINER

REMINDER: Entertainer Promo Codes for Ramadan

(NOTE - I’m not sure until after Eid whether this may change again, so IF you want Entertainer Dubai 2024, now’s the time to do it whilst the promo code works!)

Whilst there is a promo code EDSD24 for 10% off Entertainer 2024, please note that for Ramadan there are a couple of changes.

1. The promo code is not valid for Entertainer GCC during Ramadan.

2. However, the promo code is valid for Dubai 2024 - so now’s the time to purchase Entertainer Dubai 2024 as the 10% discount will only be available during Ramadan.

3. The promo code EDSD24 will work for all other Entertainer 2024 products as normal (ie Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman etc.)

More info here 👉️ Entertainer 2024 Promo Code EDSD24