DUBAI // Hotel rooms are being booked up quickly for New Year’s Eve, with some having been paid for a year in advance.
Visitors are booking five-star accommodation across Dubai, from the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel on The Palm Jumeirah to the Armani hotel in the Burj Khalifa, often paying more than Dh4,000 a night for the top suites.
“There is limited availability for rooms for New Year’ Eve,” said a spokeswoman for the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel.
“Rooms and suites get booked exceptionally quickly, particularly within the first half of the year, with many guests booking a year in advance.”
Although room rates vary depending on the type of room, length of stay and availability, prices typically start at Dh4,200 during the festive period.
“Guests will come from across the globe, of course mainly GCC, however other key markets are Russia, Germany, China and the UK,” the spokeswoman said.
It is a similar story at the Burj Al Arab, with rooms booked months in advance.
“Rooms get sold out between 30 and 60 days in advance,” said a spokeswoman for the hotel.
Rates start at Dh10,000 a night for a one-bedroom suite, with most guests travelling from Russia, the UK, Ukraine, Germany and the US.
There is also local demand, the spokeswoman said.
Hotels along the emirate’s coastline are popular with tourists wanting to watch the annual fireworks displays at the stroke of midnight.
The Burj Khalifa has its own fireworks. Rooms are still available at the Armani hotel in the first 40 floors of the building, at least for now.
“At the moment Armani Hotel Dubai does have rooms available, however, we do see bookings gain momentum from September onwards,” said Spencer Wadama, the hotel’s general manager.
“Based on past experience, we anticipate that rooms would be booked up by early December.
“Given the nature and ease of travel these days, the ability of a traveller to make a spontaneous decision is even easier than before.”
Room prices start at Dh4,200 a night.
“The GCC does remain a key market but we also record a lot of interest from guests from India, China, CIS, Europe and America,” said Mr Wadama.
“At Armani Hotel Dubai we see a healthy mix of families and couples, with reservations skewing more towards couples.”
Many UAE residents choose a “staycation” to see the fireworks without the stress of the traffic.
“It’s much more convenient and less stressful to just book a hotel room close to where you are going to watch the fireworks,” said Manish Gadariya from India, who works in accounting in Dubai.
“Traffic is a complete nightmare and pretty much all the roads in and around Downtown are blocked, and the Metro stations are completely packed.
“We’re looking to book a room in one of the hotels that’s in easy walking distance to the Burj.”
nhanif@thenational.ae
