Dubai: Have a place to stay this week – and travel in August. This seems to be the opinion of many people living in the UAE who prefer to spend the Eid Al Adha holiday next week at a hotel or resort nearby. And save travel — and the money that comes with it — for summer.
Although accommodation is not cheap, top hotels in the country charge Dh3,000 or more for a two-night stay during the Eid holidays.
As expected, beach hotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah are seeing the most visits, according to travel aggregator Booking.com. Driven mainly by demand for accommodation from UAE residents (and GCC visitors), hoteliers say rooms are up 10-15 per cent compared to May.
Room rates in Dubai average from Dh1,965 to Dh3,510 for bookings from June 28-30 (prices do not include taxes).
The conjunction of Eid and the upcoming summer school holidays created a demand for accommodation. Schools in the UAE are closed for the summer after June 22, and hotels are preparing at least 80 percent occupancy and more for the Eid season.
With Eid Al Adha just around the corner from the summer holidays, we expect demand to remain strong.
– David Garner, Vice-President of Commercial Middle East and Africa at Minor Hotels
‘Special deals for UAE residents’
Hotels have also offered special deals for UAE residents, which will continue until September 2. “The average daily rate (ADR) stood at Dh650 for bookings in May,” said Raj Shetty, founder of Ramee Dream and Ramee Group. .
Properties in Palm Jumeirah and other townhouses, especially those in Downtown Dubai, charge between Dh1,900 and Dh3,600 per night. Beach resorts in Ras Al Khaimah had their double rooms priced at Dh1,260 -Dh2,100 for Eid stays. Hotels in Abu Dhabi charge Dh1,354 to Dh3,000 for weekends. (The lowest rates for these hotels are between Dh850-Dh1,650.)
Being on top
According to Dubai Tourism, hotel and hospitality occupancy in the city during January-April increased by 79.8 percent, making it one of the highest in the world. And this comes as Dubai has registered a 26 percent increase in apartments so far this year.
Nine-star accommodation is seeing the highest occupancy rates in Dubai, at 78- and 80-percent, respectively.
Consumer preferences
During Eid, beach hotels and resorts remain the most popular options for families, said Murielle Morillon, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing of Novotel and ibis World Trade Center and ibis One Central.
Accommodation choices, especially during Eid, are often the last resort as tourists quickly look for attractive deals. We expect a large share of the market remaining on Eid.
– Murielle Morillon
Some families also prefer to travel to Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain and Fujairah to search for hotel accommodation during the holidays, Shetty said. Although the UAE market has seen significant room growth, hotels remain optimistic about opportunities, especially as demand rises from international and domestic tourists.
“We are actively evaluating the diversity of new markets and looking for new areas of growth,” Garner said. “With the expansion of the Emirates airline network, markets such as South America, Israel, and major European markets show exciting potential.”
