At a time when the cost of hotel rooms around the world has dropped significantly the price of a room in Abu Dhabi has increased 15% in the first six months of this year!Abu Dhabi, the richest city in the world, now holds the world record for being the most expensive city in the world to stay; the average hotel room costing £173 or $285 a night.
What sort of a record is this? The news is being relayed on London’s Telegraph and recounted on CNN International but most people couldn’t sleep soundly if they had to part with that money for a bed.
What does this say about Arab hospitality that traditionally accepted people into their tents free of charge for three days without asking where they had come from, what is their business and where they are going?
It is all very well to have the Emirates Palace with its extravagant price tags but the shortage of rooms is giving license to all Abu Dhabi hoteliers to jack up their prices and rort the system.
So Abu Dhabi becomes the city for the rich, and ordinary people will give its cultural delights as well as its hotels a miss and head for Dubai, Sharjah, RAK and the costal resorts of Fujairah.
Link
Nick Trend, Worldwide Hotel Rates Fall by Nearly a Fifth, Telegraph, 15 September 2009.
Related
Atlantis Hotel Extravagance at Grand Opening, ETE, 1 December 2008.
Atlantis Hotel and that Aquarium, ETE, 20 November 2008.
Dubai’s Top 5 Hotels, ETE, 30 October 2007.
What Will it be Like to Stay in a Shariah-Compliant Hotel in the UAE? ETE, 28 May 2007.
When Planning to Stay in UAE Hotels Don’t Forget to Pack Marriage Certificate, ETE, 31 August 2009.
Other Stories and Sites
All Aboard the New Metro! Enjoy the Views of Dubai! Experiencing the Emirates, 11 August 2009.
What Will Be the Legacy of the America’s Cup in the Emirates? America’s Cup in the UAE, 14 September 2009.
Fujairah is Going Hi-Tech in Advertizing, Fujairah in Focus, 15 September 2009.
Dr Geoff Pound
Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.
Image: Abu Dhabi Hotels: Between the Bedouin Tent and the Emirates Palace.
