Hotel prices in the UAE have seen a significant spike ahead of the busy holiday period.
Burj Khalifa-facing hotels in Downtown Dubai are some of the priciest as New Year's Eve approaches.
The Address Dubai Mall Hotel, for example, costs Dh11,200 for a minimum two night stay from December 30 to January 1. That is the price for a 45 square-metre room, without breakfast, that overlooks Burj Khalifa.
A week later, the rates for the room drop down again to Dh1,469 per night.
Burj Khalifa will host a massive fireworks and laser show display when the clock strikes midnight. Registration is limited due to Covid-19 but the show will also be live-streamed online for those who can't watch it in person.
In Abu Dhabi, a room at the W Abu Dhabi hotel in Yas Marina, overlooking one of the capital's fireworks displays, costs Dh880 on December 31. Prices dip to Dh540 per night a week later.
Over in Fujairah, the Intercontinental Fujairah Resort has rates of Dh2,935 on Booking.com for Thursday night. Prices drop to Dh855 a week later.
Tareq Aboudib, general manager of the Sandy Beach Hotel and Resort in Fujairah, said the time between Christmas and New Year is typically the busiest season for hotels and this year is no different.
"On New Year’s we are fully booked,” he said. “This is a time where people tend to come together with different friends and family members and celebrate in a more outgoing fashion.”
A standard room at the resort for New Year's Eve starts at Dh878 and a two-bedroom apartment is Dh2,008.
A week later, a standard room is listed for Dh462 on Booking.com and the two-bedroom is going for Dh1,100.
Mr Aboudib said staycations were, unsurprisingly, in-demand this year because of limitations on travel. He said staycations helped hotels stay afloat as international tourism took a global hit.
“People want to get away, even if it’s within the Emirates,” he said.
Sonia Ngninkeu, co-owner of Bethel Vacation Homes in Dubai, said Airbnb was also popular during this time, as residents and tourist look for more affordable options.
She said December was the hospitality sector's peak season.
“A lot of hotels and vacation home owners are going for 30 to 50 per cent increase in prices for New Year’s Eve. We did a 30 per cent increase,” said Ms Ngninkeu.
Her company manages six holiday homes that they rent out on Airbnb.
“It’s a very busy period for us,” she said. “Some people prefer to stay in hotels, while others want to stay in Airbnbs, as it is still a more affordable option.”
Burj Khalifa-facing apartments on Airbnb cost between Dh1,900 to Dh2,900 on New Year's Eve.
Dubai's tourism spots - in pictures
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
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
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
