The first easyHotel outside Europe will add a new cut-price segment to Dubai's hotel market as it will charge as little as Dh99 (US$26.95) a night for a room with a bed and little else.
Weary travellers who want anything extra - such as fresh towels or clean sheets after the first night or a TV to watch, must pay for the privilege, when the new hotel opens on August 1 in Jebel Ali.
"People like this 'pay as you go' model," said Chiheb Ben-Mahmoud, the senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in the MENA region. "Why pay for TV if you're going to spend the whole day in the office?"
He believes the low prices are unlikely to affect other hotels in Dubai as rates are already under pressure.
"It will not have an impact on the price of other hotels because it's a completely different proposition. It's in a segment of it's own. It's an experience for the traveller." Mr Ben-Mahmoud said the brand had a loyal following.
Average daily rates in Dubai fell to $235.48 last year from $308.51 the previous year. Although the pace of decline has slowed dramatically, prices have remained under pressure as hotels compete to fill their rooms.
The company, which is part of the easyGroup of businesses founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said it priced its hotels on the basis of "the earlier you book, the less you pay".
Istithmar World is the master franchise owner for easyHotel in the region.
The original plan, announced in 2006, was to open a chain of 38 budget easyHotel branded hotels across the Middle East, North Africa, India and Pakistan within five years. The future of these developments remains uncertain.
"Dubai is well known for being a luxury destination but clearly not everyone can afford the price tags that luxury demands," said Calum Russell, the commercial director at easyHotel.com.
"We believe there is a real gap in the hotel market in Dubai to bring true budget pricing to this global destination."
@Email:rbundhun@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing