quatroporte
As a hotelier myself, I can confirm many hotels are struggling this month... but newspapers keep publishing bubbles claiming Dubai is alright!?!?!?!?
is there any fellow hoteliers on this forum who can shed more light from his/her end?
this was posted on my blog early today!
Quote:
An article posted by the National newspaper website with a headline "" and few other local newspapers reported the same early last week claiming luxury 5-star hotels in Dubai are doing very well this festive season with few hotels claiming over 90%!!!! I am surprised! :shock:
I don't want to tag this article as "crap" but as a hotelier myself and my fellow friends who work in various "iconic" 5-star hotels in Dubai claim otherwise. infact the highest rate was reported by one of my friends is 50% and the hotel is just so happy about it!!!
“I don’t believe that there will be any drop in five-star occupancy levels because a lot of people have booked and paid for their holiday months in advance,” said Aloke Dey, the manager of Sharaf Travel Holidays, one of the largest Dubai-based tour operators.
Said who??? So this manager claims Dubai not having any tourist drop and the hotel rooms are booked!!! what about the 5-star hotels which I and my friends work for that average about 33% occupancy this month??? :?
A major 5-star hotel (which I will not name it) is offering its staff deluxe rooms over the weekend for only AED 150. I think this is a clear indication how the Christmas weekend was like in Dubai for Hotels! :lol:
I am sure, some hotels are doing better than others, specially the leisure hotels however, the business hotels are officially struggling this quarter.
I personally feel like the article posted by the "National" is just another bubble article to give an indication that Dubai is doing fine!!!! but we all know the truth. 8)
sharfraz
unnamed major 5 star hotel in dubai
staff deluxe room for AED 150
whereabouts???
:shock:
arniegang
i was chatting to the general manager of Le royal Meridian last week and he confirm neither they or any of the hotels along Jumeira are full and they will be introducing offers for jan and feb. This in the past has been unheard of.
quatroporte
- sharfraz wrote:
unnamed major 5 star hotel in dubai
staff deluxe room for AED 150
whereabouts???
:shock:
i can't name it however its the Hotel I work for... and its one of the major 5 star hotels in Dubai...
Dubai Knight
Ah yes, but there is no bad news in Dubai!
The previous claims of 92% occupancy in all Dubai hotels are spurious also. At the rates they charge, I am surprised they are even 33% full!
I'll take a room for 150Dhs a night!
:) :) :)
Knight
sharfraz
book me for a month dude!!! hahahahahahhaha
:lol:
bedro
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
sage & onion
- bedro wrote:
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
150 per night is currently about half what you would have to pay for an unfurnished studio flat. It's a bargain.
quatroporte
- bedro wrote:
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
just to correct you...
5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public... there are standard prices we (hotels) can't sell the room for less because of many reasons... and one of them credibility... imagine our hotel announce to the public that the rooms are for only 300 AED or even 500 AED!!!!
at the moment with only 22% occupancy the walk-in-customer will pay 950 AED per night in the hotel I work for.... the same room is offered to staff for 150AED...
you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...
quatroporte
- sage & onion wrote:
- bedro wrote:
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
150 per night is currently about half what you would have to pay for an unfurnished studio flat. It's a bargain.
but that offer is only for one week... one of the managers booked the full week stay in the hotel for that rate. :P
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Red Chief
- quatroporte wrote:
you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...
I can't agree. There are a lot of special offers around, but I am surprised that posh hotels offer them in a high season. So I guess that you are right about low occupancy.
At the other hand sometimes it's more easier to find better rate via travel agency.
quatroporte
- Red Chief wrote:
- quatroporte wrote:
you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...
I can't agree. There are a lot of special offers around, but I am surprised that posh hotels offer them in a high season. So I guess that you are right about low occupancy.
At the other hand sometimes it's more easier to find better rate via travel agency.
special offers are a different topic...
and yes, through travel agencies you can get cheaper and better offers than calling the hotel directly, sometimes.
bedro
- quatroporte wrote:
just to correct you...
5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public... there are standard prices we (hotels) can't sell the room for less because of many reasons... and one of them credibility... imagine our hotel announce to the public that the rooms are for only 300 AED or even 500 AED!!!!
at the moment with only 22% occupancy the walk-in-customer will pay 950 AED per night in the hotel I work for.... the same room is offered to staff for 150AED...
you see... if you call all the hotels in Dubai they all will sell you the walk-in-customer rate... which will never be reduced much...
It's well known that the walk-in rate or the old term "rack rate" is the most expensive. Some hotels have special offers on their websites like Radisson Sas and even the Emirates Palace (AED 1960 for coral room) and if you call them they would tell the same price they have on their web site.
Many other hotels use booking web merchants like (retail) and destinations of the world (wholesale) to fill in their rooms. The prices on for example could reach 550 AED (excluding the 16% service and taxes) like Sheraton Deira , Novotel WTC, Crowne Plaza DFS, and a lot of hotel apartments. Those prices impose around 21% commission.
Many hotels used to play that game and tell the walk-in customers they have no standard rooms available to force them book a suit or an executive room. Hope that'd change now :wink:
bedro
- quatroporte wrote:
- bedro wrote:
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
just to correct you...
5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public...
By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays :idea:
quatroporte
- bedro wrote:
Many hotels used to play that game and tell the walk-in customers they have no standard rooms available to force them book a suit or an executive room. Hope that'd change now :wink:
hahaha.. :lol:
a friend of mine who used to work as a receptionist at the Hyatt used to tell the Saudi's who show up at 2am with a Russian lady asking for an urgent room for the night... and he used to tell them the standard rooms are not available and that they should order an executive room or suite :lol:
quatroporte
- bedro wrote:
- quatroporte wrote:
- bedro wrote:
Well, I've been monitoring hotel prices and availability on December. The prices didn't change which means availability is pretty high.
Hope that's not so bad for u quatro and the other hoteliers. But 150, that's a bargain :D
just to correct you...
5star hotels will never put the prices too low for public...
By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays :idea:
I apologize for my misinterpretation. :)
and yes the 150 is a bargain... I am not married and recently broke up with GF... so nobody to go out with :( those offers came out in a wrong time
bedro
- quatroporte wrote:
I apologize for my misinterpretation. :)
and yes the 150 is a bargain... I am not married and recently broke up with GF... so nobody to go out with :( those offers came out in a wrong time
No problem mate. Go have a girl before the prices soar again :D:D:D
Red Chief
- bedro wrote:
By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays :idea:
They are. There have been special offers each week permanetly during a few months in some hotels. So it looks like regular prices indeed.
bedro
- Red Chief wrote:
- bedro wrote:
By the way, I didn't say the prices are too low. I only noticed that they didn't increase even in holidays :idea:
They are. There have been special offers each week permanetly during a few months in some hotels. So it looks like regular prices indeed.
Does that mean Dubai is having less volume of visitors. I know a hotel manager who told me that the majority of his guests are visitors...
Red Chief
It does due to a real crisis in Russia and... KSA :(
I'm talking about beach hotels only.
quatroporte
- Red Chief wrote:
It does due to a real crisis in Russia and... KSA :(
I'm talking about beach hotels only.
the most affected in Dubai are Business hotels... as most of the companies are cutting costs by reducing business trips and over-seas conferences...
however, leisure hotels are somewhat doing better.... as majority of tourist prefer not to spend money on vacations during the crises... yet Dubai is still considered a good destination to escape the cold weather in Europe and enjoy the shopping season in Dubai.
Red Chief
About cold weather you are right... in theory.... but I would be surprised if someone from Europe went to Dubai only for shopping... I guess all shopping mall around will be the next bubble...
bedro
I agree with Red Chief, I had a couple of friends coming from Germany and guess what; They wanted to get certain brands for glasses and perfumes and they found it more expensive in Dubai than Germany :!:
Not to mention that Dubai is tax-free and customs are minor. But guess the rent on city center or mall of the emirates would cover 'em all :D:D:D
Another friend from the UK told me that laptops in Dubai are expensive as well. I wonder what's left on the shopping/leisure heaven list...
quatroporte
- bedro wrote:
I agree with Red Chief, I had a couple of friends coming from Germany and guess what; They wanted to get certain brands for glasses and perfumes and they found it more expensive in Dubai than Germany :!:
Not to mention that Dubai is tax-free and customs are minor. But guess the rent on city center or mall of the emirates would cover 'em all :D:D:D
Another friend from the UK told me that laptops in Dubai are expensive as well. I wonder what's left on the shopping/leisure heaven list...
hahaha... so true... retail stores in UAE are so expensive to the point that buying from US and Europe is cheaper and including shipping.
however, what I meant by the shopping season is when the Dubai shopping festival starts and here where the prices are lowered... infact go to the malls right now and see all the sale offers happening... I got myself few good bargains so far :)
I am speaking of clothes not electronics
quatroporte
- bedro wrote:
Another friend from the UK told me that laptops in Dubai are expensive as well. I wonder what's left on the shopping/leisure heaven list...
not only laptops... but all the electronics in general...
go to and compare prices with UAE...
for example... the new Nikon D90 camera with SB900 flash unit will cost me in UAE 9200 AED at the Grand Stores... however ordered the same from with shipping to my door step in Dubai all totaled AED 6000 :shock:
I stopped purchasing any electronics from Dubai and i always buy everything online...
arniegang
The prices charged in Dubai are comparable to the UK. When you take into account our VAT @ 15% and the high cost of wages ie £5.70 (35Dhs) per hour, then the profit margin to the stores/importers in dubai are way above UK/Europe prices.
uaekid
nothing is cheap in this city. just spend this holiday with the family in dubai for 3 nights, prices are the same, some are full in jumarah, I ended up in Tamani aprtments in marina area, v.nice hotel dh 2400 for a 3 bedroom apartment. the view of the palm island was pricless.
Dubai Knight
The prices may compare or be higher than Europe, but the labour costs and infrastructure cost far less. Its the reason retailers will set up here becase their margins are infinitely higher.
The Shopping Festival rarely gives price reductions, but provides additional benefit in terms of the discount vouchers, instant win promotions and prize draw options...but you will notice there has to be a minimum spend. Its not geared towards the consumer, but aimed to increase the retailers turnover per capita.
:? :? :?
Knight
Pimpin80
just to add to this hotel discussion, I've been working in this industry for the past 5 years, although not in Dubai, but I can tell you for sure very few places if any have above 75% occupancy right now, and that is worldwide. I work in the 3rd largest hotel in canada and the most luxurious in Montreal, our occupancy is 40% right now and it hasnt been this high in about a month. I know some people who work in hotels in Europe and its the same.
Its in times like these that you can tell how low hotels rank on people's budget and priority list. Resorts have consumers as business and these people are broke or too scared to spend. Ditto for business hotels where businesses are the main clients.