Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 99/w36

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 36, Edition 99

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

🛒 dnata to sell all 4 UK travel companies?

🏊 One day Aquaventure pass with Emirates

☎️ Phone ✅ Email ❌ for Dubai hotels

🚣 Marine Transport in Dubai

💸 September flight sales - deal or no deal?

🇦🇹 Austrian launch “Dubai Deals” flights …. beware!

🇮🇪 World’s biggest Irish pub.

📛 Nakheel Mall renamed.

🏩 Double Bonus Points with Hyatt.

PS. You can always email me here also.

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FLIGHT DEALS

Austrian Launch “Dubai Deal” Flights From €699 Business Class

From December 2025 through to March 2026, Austrian Airlines will fly their A320 neo from Vienna to Dubai, with return prices from €319 in Economy and €699 in Business.

Whilst they are marketing this as a “Dubai Deal”, it’s a great example of why I always say to evaluate the deal and understand exactly what’s on offer. It’s basically a trial service, aimed at “price-conscious” travellers on planes that would normally fly intra-Europe, so no seat-back screens nor ‘true’ Business Class seats.

🔗 Austrian Airlines tests “Dubai Deal”

September Flight Sales - Deal or No Deal?

September is often a time for flight promotions, but it doesn’t always equate to deals.

This time of year, as schools reopen and the summer holidays draw to a close, tends to be popular with flexible travellers looking for last-minute getaways, so lots of airlines and hotels will launch flash sales.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both recently launched ‘sales’, so it may be worth having a gander but ….. just be aware, sometimes airlines just uplift fares before these sales or restrict fare basis availability (thus raising prices).

I noticed this with Singapore last Black Friday, and I’ve recently been scouring Virgin Atlantic before they launched their sale, and let’s put it this way - I had one look at the same dates and routes once the sale had launched and prices were higher.

Of course, it could just be cheaper flights have already been sold, or it’s the “Oasis syndrome” (i.e. when a peak event is announced, everyone complains hotel prices are being ‘gouged’ when it may just be, the IT notices a lot more demand and traffic on their sites and the ‘dynamic pricing’ uplifts prices).

🔗 British Airways End of Summer Sale (book by 30 September)

🔗 Virgin Atlantic Sale (book by 30 September)

DUBAI DEALS

Aquaventure One Day Pass With Emirates

Reminder that if you’re looking to book Emirates flights, and fancy a ‘free’ one day pass for Aquventure, maybe consider their “Splash Out in Dubai” Special Offer.

You’ll need to book by 07 September, and travel out to Dubai by 08 October.

🔗 Splash out in Dubai with Emirates at Aquaventure

My Emirates Summer Pass is still running through to 30 September, and as mentioned last week, if you’re looking for promo or discount codes for Entertainer be sure to use EDSD25 (10% discount on ALL 2020 products) ASAP, as all discount codes may stop working shortly for 2025 products.

Normally, there’s a bit of gap between Summer and Winter ‘My Emirates Pass’ promotions. However, in 2025, the Winter Pass finished and the Summer Pass started the next day. It remains to be seen what may happen come 01 October this year …

DUBAI NEWS

Emirates Group’s dnata to Sell Their UK Travel Brands?

dnata Travel Group, part of Emirates Group, has employed Alix Partners to undertake a strategic review of their four UK-based travel businesses (Gold Medal, Travelbag, Travel Republic and Netflights), which could result in sales.

Nakheel Mall on Palm Jumeirah Renamed to Palm Jumeirah Mall

Dubai Holding Asset Management have announced that Nakheel Mall will now be called … Palm Jumeirah Mall. 

The renaming coincides with the opening of a redeveloped section of the mall, and new stores opening including Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren and Lululemon.

Marine Transport: A Great Way to Get Around Dubai, Now With Improved Stations!

RTA have unveiled their upgrade and improvement plans for marine transport stations at Old Dubai Souq and Al Sabkha marine transport stations following previous enhancements at Bur Dubai and Old Deira Souq stations.

Marine Transport around Dubai covers a wide range of routes and vessels, and not just the cheap Abras. Water Taxis and Dubai Ferries travel around places such as Marina Mall, Dubai Water Canal, Atlantis The Palm, Palm Jumeirah and many others.

🔗 RTA: Marine Transport

🔗 RTA: Abra timetable

KNOW MORE ABOUT DUBAI

Marharba Launches Meet-And-Greet in UK, at MAN

Another company that’s part of the Emirates Group, Marharba offer several services for travellers at Dubai International Airport (DXB) including Meet & Greet services, baggage collection and check-in and airport lounge access.

Since forming in 1991, they now operate in eight countries across Europe, Africa and Australia, and have just launched operations including Meet and Greet at Manchester International Airport (MAN).

🔗 Marharba

Will Dubai’s Transport System Cope With a Growing Population?

One thing that’s not improved in recent years in Dubai - congestion. Metros can get overcrowded at certain times/stops, road traffic clogs up more and longer, and it’s just not as slick getting around.

With the population now over 4 million, here’s a detailed discussion from The National about future public transport plans and initiatives that’s worth a read, especially for a city so dependent on cars.

AI seems to be getting put to good use at DXB airport, with the new ‘Red Carpet’ smart corridor at T3 already being planned to expand to arrivals and departures “in the near future”.

ONE BIG DUBAI TIP

Avoid Emailing Dubai Hotels. Phone!

We all know and love Dubai for many reasons not least how ambitious, modern and forward-looking it is, but there’s one thing that it’s stuck in the past on - how it handles email and online communications in the travel space.

Let me make this as clear as I can - if you have any reason to communicate with a Dubai hotel (especially), if you cannot do it in person, do not use email.

Email is an ineffective communication tool as it’s often mishandled (or ignored) in general, but in Dubai, it can be like Kryptonite.

Put it another way, the highest percentage chance of success and reward will be a function of which medium you use to communicate. Here’s why :-

1) Emails are easier to be ignored, lost, bounced, sent to spam or answered with a stock ‘copy and paste’.

2) The people answering the general emails - unless you happen to have direct email addresses for executives, directors or managers - are likely to be junior and with little discretion or authority.

3) Customer service can be prone to hiccups in Dubai, especially when it comes to asks (see previous edition) and ‘computer says no’ people, so why make it even riskier by emailing?

4) If you are asking something that requires authority or knowledge to answer, if you send an email and they can’t answer, they are more likely to guess a reply rather than say, let me escalate that and speak with someone who can. And then you’ll have to try a second time - or just call.

5) If you require sound information, say to make decisions from, you need to ensure the maximum veracity and accuracy of the information you’re given, and this will ALWAYS be better in a live two-way conversation rather than ‘back and forth’ over email.

6) When you are in a live call - video, audio or in person - you can read a lot more cues other than just words, such as body language, tone, pauses etc. These can often be indicative of the quality of the information or answer you’re getting. Plus, sometimes things just come up in a live chat, and you can address them instantly.

7) It is a lot more time efficient to have a live conversation than playing ‘email tennis’ back and forth over a thread that can soon get confusing and/or last for days.

8) Once you have asked your pertinent questions, you can still ask for confirmation by email of the main points you’re asking about. You also have a record of the person who you spoke with, what was said and anything else.

It’s far better to get ‘just the key points’ after a live conversation than trying to find a the same points in an email thread that’s gone on for days.

Example/s

One of the most common queries you’re likely to have to a Dubai hotel is about a dining or drinks package - i.e. what’s operational, what’s included, restrictions and such like.

The challenge may come if you want to ask any difficult questions. For instance, restrictions on drinks if there’s an All Inclusive package. If you do this by email, you may just get a stock reply, whereas if you speak with someone, you have more potential to ask further questions, react to what they say or many other benefits.

Plus, if the reason for the call is a special request or ‘ask’, it’s could be more likely to receive a positive response in a live communication than email. On the basis, it’s easier to say no when it’s an offline conversation.

In another case, say you’re looking to try for a direct negotiation on a rate. Almost certainly, the person checking an email won’t be able to agree or negotiate, so you then involve more people in the equation. Similarly, when negotiating, you will often go back and forth a few times so better to do that in real-time rather than over six emails. You also get a better chance of continuity with one person in ‘real time’ than over several days or emails, which may sometimes be picked up by different staff.

Last but not least, what you may get through a live conversation is something you may not want, but ultimately will best help you make a decision - bad news.

Let’s say you’re planning visiting Dubai in the summer, during off-season. If you email a hotel asking which pools are open, they may be reluctant to address completely or blag a response - not helpful.

If you call them, and ask the question and they pause, you can then ask a different way and most of all, read the context and subtle tells of their responses far better than any email.

Why Do People Still Email When They Know Phoning Is Better?

As frustrating as this may be, my mind boggles why people still do something they know is less effective than something with a higher chance of success.

I understand there are reasons, such as :-

• it’s what they are more comfortable with

• they don’t want to risk the phone bill

• they want a record of information

But the only thing that should really matter, especially given how important it could be, is the integrity of the information you receive, followed closely by how efficiently the query/ies may be resolved, surely?

Put it another way, would you spend say £10 on a call to Dubai to ask a question that will put your £2,000 hotel stay at ease? Or would you spend days over email going back and forth, going nowhere or very slowly, or even worse - getting poor info that won’t help you make a decision to avoid issues?

When you speak ‘live’ with a real person, you tend to speak more in ‘open’ questions and answers, rather than email which is often ‘closed’ i.e. yes or no answers. Occasionally, the ‘gaps between’ in open conversation are often the riches, such as numbers in a discussion on rates, or asking what the best deal they can do for you is.

Is This Really Such a Big Issue Though?

The reason I have a bee in my bonnet about this is I just see massive risk, set against doing something that is easier, simpler and far more efficient.

I’ve seen people who won’t call a hotel because they’re concerned about something that could change the whole holiday - something being closed, a club lounge operational query, or some piece of misinformation online that needs clarifying.

The way I see it, you can’t put a price on peace of mind. Whatever a phone call may cost, if it resolves your issue - then it’s literally ‘worth it’. And your chance of success is always higher with a call.

This doesn’t mean every hotel in Dubai won’t answer emails - many will. Many may even do it superbly, but on the whole, hardly any will do it as well as a call or live conversation in the first instance.

Last but not least, if you are looking to do things like direct negotiation, clarify vague information on products or terms, or compare benefits, it’s essential that you have clear, concise, accurate and relevant data to do so. You don’t want someone emailing something that’s copy and paste or guessing at answers.

Conclusion

If you have any doubt about anything - and after all, that’s the reason you want to ask them something - then always play the percentages, and call.

FOOD AND DRINK

Twiggy at Park Hyatt have restarted their ‘Lagoon Daycation’ offer for 365 AED, which gives lagoon access, set menu, sunbed and a soft drink on weekdays.

It may not be the best ‘dirham-for-dirham’ deal, but if you’re near the Creek it’s a lovely venue to hang out - and the hotel’s not bad either!

Talking of day passes, these six Dubai beach clubs have announced their re-opening dates as the new season swings in.

Burak Ozdemir (better known as CZN Burak) has announced he no longer has any business ties to Dubai as of September 2025.

However, there are some differing stories about whether his main restaurant CZN Burak Dubai at Boulevard Point will remain open, as the Dives Holding (who own the CZN Burak brand) confirmed to The National that while Ozdemir has left, the restaurant will remain open at its Downtown Dubai location with no changes expected.

Dubai loves a Guinness World Record, and it now has the largest Irish pub in the world.

McCaffertys at Jumeirah VIllage Circle, atop Circle Mall, has recently reopened with a new extension and some 148 taps.

🔗 McCaffertys JVC

HOTEL NEWS

Hotelier Middle East Awards have announced their 2025 Winners (archive version here).

Mandarin Oriental Downtown Dubai has revealed their pre-opening leadership team, ahead the Al Wasl Tower property opening in October 2025.

🔗 Mandarin Oriental Downtown Dubai

EMIRATES

Emirates appear to have answered your prayers if you like direct aisle access in Business Class, as they announce a revamp on their 777s.

Work for Emirates for 20 years, receive an Omega Constellation - cool, hey?

HOTEL OFFERS

20% Discount for Saudi National Day TUMBI Hotel Dubai

One reason I’ll regularly say, it’s easier to shortlist hotels then find deals rather than just blithely searching by pumping dates into agents or OTAs, is that once you have a target or a keyword (i.e. a name of a hotel) it’s far easier to Google or track those keywords to be alerted of deals, sales and promotions.

I’ve covered Tumbi West Palm Beach Hotel Dubai in previous editions, not least as it’s an ‘under-the-radar’ hotel, in a lively area (West Palm Beach) and is part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection.

They’ve announced a promotion aimed at Saudi National Day (which is 23 September) that offers 20% off food, drink, spa during the week 19-26 September.

The article above does not state that the offer is only for Saudi nationals or needing GCC ID to avail of.

Given that this hotel is in a very competitive area (i.e. lots of great hotels), and other hotels tend to be more popular, it’s usually at an attractive price point for stays too. I mention this because Hilton offer a ‘price match’ offering a further 25% discount, and when a hotel is in an area with lots of competition, that often makes it more variable in price, thus more likely to be eligible for price matching when the rate drops. This is why Pruvo* is worth using to track prices too 😉

As a side note, the spa (Wellbeings Holistic Healing) is also in Entertainer on Buy 1 Get 1 Free.

LOYALTY PROGRAMMES

World Of Hyatt: Up to 20,000 Bonus Points

World of Hyatt have launched a “2X Your Points” promotion offering up to 20,000 Bonus Points on qualifying stays between 15 September and 01 December, at participating hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

🔗 Hyatt: 2 x Your Points

This is a very good article covering Emirates Skywards, and serves as a good overview of the programme and its benefits.

Peruse it for a good ‘start off’ point to a deeper dive into different aspects of the programme, such as different earning methods, tips and booking rules (for instance).

Then move onto the official Emirates Skywards site for more detailed information.

ABU DHABI

Surfin’ USA? Try Surfin’ UAE!

One of many great things about Dubai, and Abu Dhabi to a lesser degree, is there’s always something unique to add to your ‘sounds cool, must try’ list.

Did you know for instance, there’s a dedicated surf pool in Abu Dhabi that hosts competition, as well as teaching you to surf across several different waves?

Check out Surf Abu Dhabi at Hudayriyat Island (the island just across from Al Bateen Beach, Abu Dhabi Intercontinental and the Abu Dhabi EDITION.

🔗 Surf Abu Dhabi