Family of 6 refuses to pay Dubai hotel bill after staying for two years

Dubai: A civil court in Dubai has ordered an Arab family to vacate a hotel room they had occupied for two years without settling the full cost of their stay.

The court also directed the family to pay Dh155,000 in outstanding dues and fees as of October 1, in addition to daily accommodation charges until they vacate and 5 percent legal interest until full repayment.

According to the Al Khaleej newspaper, the dispute arose between a hotel and a family of six, a couple and their four children, who had been living in a hotel room since 2023.

Although the family paid part of the total bill, the remaining amount exceeded Dh275,000. The hotel ultimately filed a civil lawsuit seeking eviction and payment of accumulated arrears, stating that repeated requests for settlement had gone unanswered.

Hotel management argued that despite months of reminders, the family refused both to pay the outstanding balance and to leave the premises. The partial payments, it said, covered only a fraction of the financial obligations.

During the proceedings, the family challenged the court’s jurisdiction, claiming that the dispute should be handled by the Rental Disputes Center because the arrangement resembled a tenancy agreement.

The court rejected this argument, ruling that the relationship was strictly a hotel accommodation arrangement, not a residential lease. The absence of a tenancy contract or utility bills, the court said, made the family’s position untenable.

A court-appointed expert confirmed that the family had occupied the room since November 5, 2023, and that the hotel had provided all agreed services, while the family failed to settle the remaining balance.

The expert noted that room rates varied seasonally and calculated the unpaid amounts: Dh90,412 for the period up to April 11, 2025, and Dh65,425 for the period from April 12 to October 1, bringing the total arrears to Dh155,837.

The report also referenced electronic correspondence in which the husband pledged to settle the debt, reinforcing joint financial liability with his wife.

After reviewing the expert report and case documents, the court ruled that the family must vacate the room and return it in the condition it was in at the start of occupancy.

The couple was also ordered to jointly pay all outstanding dues, along with a daily accommodation fee of Dh375 from October 2, 2025, until the date of actual eviction, plus 5 percent legal interest from the date of claim until full payment.