98.5% compliance rate of hotel establishments in Dubai with required standards

Obaid Al Marri, Senior Supervisor of the Hotel Control Section at the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade at the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, revealed that the management of hotel establishments at the corporation carried out 77,200 inspection tours during the first half of the current year 2024, while the percentage of hotel establishments’ compliance with the required standards was 98.5%, attributing this to the management’s continuous efforts in organizing awareness workshops that included 832 employees in 26 hotels during the same period.

Al Marri added to Al-Emarat Al-Youm: “The most important responsibilities of the administration include ensuring that hotel facilities adhere to all required standards and requirements, including classification, operation, sustainability, maintenance and cleanliness standards, while directing these facilities to the importance of meeting the necessary standards and conditions, in line with the high level of quality provided by the hotel sector in Dubai with all its services and facilities.”

He continued: “At the end of each visit, detailed reports are prepared on each facility, to record observations or recommendations that would improve and raise the level of quality in the facility.”

Al Marri said: “The inspection visits are not limited to luxury hotels only, but extend to all classifications approved by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, including resorts and hotels from one-star to five-star, luxury and deluxe hotel apartments, and tourist hotels, in addition to luxury and tourist lodges that differ from hotel apartments in terms of the required standards, and floating hotels.”

He stressed that the visits extend to include university housing units and youth hostels, which provide their services to a similar age group of young people, and are subject to other requirements.

He explained: “The tourism activities monitoring team works around the clock, during official holidays and Eid, to ensure the comfort of visitors to the Emirate of Dubai and residents in its hotels, while complaints are dealt with urgently, as the response time does not exceed one hour in some cases, depending on the nature of the complaint.”

Regarding the mechanism for dealing with complaints, Al Marri said: “We usually contact the complainant to carefully review all aspects of the issue, record the main points, and later visit the facility to verify the validity of the complaint, and take appropriate action based on it within a short time frame.”

Regarding the steps recommended for hotel guests in the Emirate of Dubai to ensure a unique experience, Al Marri said: “We recommend that those wishing to stay in a hotel facility in Dubai choose a destination that suits their budget and meets their needs, and to review the reviews that reflect the quality of the services provided.”

Pre-booking

Obaid Al Marri, Senior Supervisor of the Hotel Control Section at the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade at the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, stressed the importance of advance booking to avoid running out of available rooms, especially during peak times, and to take advantage of public transportation and smart applications.

He explained that visitors can plan in advance for tourist activities such as visiting the Burj Khalifa, as well as desert safari experiences, advising them to obtain health insurance for emergency cases.