In Pictures: Dubai and city’s hotels show how to welcome tourists in a post-COVID-19 world

As the rest of the world tries to move past COVID-19, Dubai is welcoming back tourists – and there will be a lot many from October on. The UAE, buoyed by one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, is among the few countries to reopen its skies in such a short span of time after battling the COVID-19 crisis.

Hotel enquiries and those checking out travel sites have surged over 80 per cent ahead of Expo 2020. This is that much-anticipated – and needed - boost UAE’s hospitality sector has been searching for since the pandemic broke in March 2020.

According to the local travel agencies, stays at five-star hotels for two adults per night on average are priced Dh600-Dh700, while the branded four-star hotels charge Dh400-Dh500. Three-star properties cost guests Dh250-Dh300 per night.

Booking websites, on the other hand, have different prices based on the location of the hotel. On average, five-star hotels are available from a fairly wide band of Dh480 to Dh1,500. A room for two adults per night at Atlantis, the Palm is showing Dh1,000-Dh1,400, with the Address starting from Dh1,600 to Dh1,900, and W Dubai – The Palm at Dh800. Four-star hotels average around Dh120-Dh400; three-stars from Dh100-Dh300 and budget accommodations from Dh50-Dh200.

The five most booked hotels in Dubai for this season are Crowne Plaza, Sheikh Zayed Road (Dh300-Dh350); JW Marriott - Marquis Hotel Dubai (Dh600-Dh700); InterContinental Dubai - Festival City (Dh600-Dh650); and Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel (Dh400-Dh450).

Other accommodations on the popularity charts include Four Points by Sheraton; Holiday Inn, Embassy District; ibis, WTC and Panorama.

Pankaj Valecha of Uranus Travels says COVID-19 impacted consumer spending habits due to which they are not willing to shell out as much money as earlier for travel. This has given four-star accommodations a big push.

Local five-star chain properties like Jumeirah, the Address and Damac are also witnessing a surge in bookings from European and Russian travellers.

Valecha expects bookings to further rise around the last week of December and the first week of January, mainly due to the fine winter climes and the annual Dubai Shopping Festival. Around the same time, booking rates are expected to increase up to 20-25 per cent.

Alongside Dubai, staycation deals in Ras Al Khaimah, and Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah have also surged.

Starting October, the UAE’s hotel sector is ready for action – and lots of it.