Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel

.../> You are travelling via Abu Dhabi, it's midnight, you've arrived to discover that your onward flight is delayed, or cancelled. Or perhaps you're flying from Abu Dhabi, you've checked out of your hotel and come to the airport for your overnight flight, and it is delayed. Or - as in my case - the midnight flight was full, I was hoping to get on at the last minute but no luck, and the next flight was not until ten in the morning.

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The Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel is located in the main terminal building, next to the Gulf Air lounge which is "airside" ie after passport control and customs. This is ideal if you are transferring between flights, as you have no worries about visas, clearing passport control etc. When you arrive, follow the walkway to Arrivals and turn left at the end. The Gulf Air lounge will be straight ahead.

If you are flying ... more

What to do?

You are travelling via Abu Dhabi, it's midnight, you've arrived to discover that your onward flight is delayed, or cancelled. Or perhaps you're flying from Abu Dhabi, you've checked out of your hotel and come to the airport for your overnight flight, and it is delayed. Or - as in my case - the midnight flight was full, I was hoping to get on at the last minute but no luck, and the next flight was not until ten in the morning.

For whatever reason, you are facing a night at Abu Dhabi airport, the floor looks very hard and the chairs only marginally less so.

It's at a moment like this that you can be relieved to discover the Airport Hotel!

Location
The airport is at least thirty minutes drive from the city, an hour from the Jumeirah area of Dubai, so an airport hotel is preferable to heading into town.

The Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel is located in the main terminal building, next to the Gulf Air lounge which is "airside" ie after passport control and customs. This is ideal if you are transferring between flights, as you have no worries about visas, clearing passport control etc. When you arrive, follow the walkway to Arrivals and turn left at the end. The Gulf Air lounge will be straight ahead.

If you are flying from Abu Dhabi, then you will need to check in and go through passport control in order to get to the hotel. Check in for most flights opens just three or four hours before departure, but in my case I explained to the airline that I was flying with in the morning (Etihad) that I wanted to go through to spend the night at the hotel before flying and they were very happy to oblige me with an early check in and boarding card - they even checked in my suitcase and it arrived safe and sound. Once through passport control, the Gulf Air lounge is on the right.

Once you get to the lounge, which is upstairs, the hotel check in desk is just next to the Gulf Air lounge reception.

Check In and Rates
The check in was quick and simple. I just had to fill in a small form, let them take a photcopy of my passport and show my boarding card. The receptionist confirmed the departure time of my flight in the morning and offered a wake-up call. She explained where I could get breakfast, gave me a room card and pointed me down the corridor at the side, towards the rooms.

The check in desk is at the entrance to the Gulf Air lounge, so I could get a good view into the lounge, past the seats, to the bar! Hint - there is no bottled water in the room, but if you go to the lounge bar and tell them you are staying in the hotel they will give you a bottle of mineral water.

Rates at the hotel are Dhs330 for a single room and Dhs440 for a double - that's in United Arab Emirates Dirhams. In US Dollars that's $90 for a single and $120 for a double. Not exactly a bargain, but I happily paid it rather than spend a night on the airport floor!

Rooms
The rooms are not extravagant or luxurious by any stretch of the imagination - expect, perhaps, compared to the five foot patch of floor behind the duty free DVD shop. However, although basic, they are clean, comfortable and fitted out to give you a good night's sleep.

My room was surprisingly spacious, with a full sized double bed that was firm and comfortable, with a bedside table and reading light on both sides. Across from there was a writing desk, with desk lamp, and a suitcase stand. I didn't notice any internet plug in point or access. There was chest of drawers, with a small TV atop, and a cupboard containing half a dozen hangers - probably more than enough for one night in transit!

The bathroom, too was clean and adequate, with a bath and powerful shower. There was a basket containing most of what one might need for a night stop, planned or otherwise - toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, razor, shaving cream, shampoo, shower gel, moisturiser, nail file and sewing kit.

The air conditioning was a bit on the loud side when I had it on full to start, but the room cooled down within minutes and I turned it to low, after which it was very quiet and not intrusive at all.

I did see a twin room as well, which had two single beds, so I was quite glad with my large double! Just like in the bar, really….

Facilities, restaurant and bar
Not surprisingly, for a hotel designed as a transit hotel, there is no swimming pool, fitness centre, gym, tennis court or conference room. I did notice a prayer room, however, half way down the corridor.

There is a small restaurant at one side of the Gulf Air lounge and a bar at the end. The restaurant has a small breakfast selection (priced at about Dhs45, or $12) and also offers lunches and dinners. Alternatively, five minutes away in the duty free area there is another café.

I did see some people looking remarkably like waiters carrying trays with what looked like food at one end of the corridor, so I guessed there may be room service. Certainly there was the option of having breakfast delivered to the room, but I didn't find any information about other meals.

The bar is, I believe, intended for Gulf Air first and business class passengers - and people using the lounge through their Diner Club card. They will provide a bottle of water to hotel guests. I also ordered a nightcap which the barman offered to charge to my room, so from that I suppose that hotel guests could use the bar area. However, when I told him that I was flying the next morning, checked in and using the lounge through my diners card, I was not charged.

The lounge also has a small duty free shop and an internet room with three PCs. Again, I suspect these may not be intended for hotel guests, but I used the internet room undisturbed.

Check out and departure
I got a wake up call at the time requested, two hours before flight departure. After a good, invigourating shower I breakfasted and went to check out.

The receptionist swiped my card, gave me a receipt and that was it, all very quick and easy. That left me just to trot downstairs and off to the duty free area.

Abu Dhabi duty free is not as glitzy and glamorous as Dubai, but they have a similar selection, certainly a good variety, and at competitive prices. It is also more compact and less irritatingly pushy, in my experience. I picked up a few very low priced DVDs (genuine), some PC accessories and of course a bottle, then was off to board my Etihad Airways flight, refreshed and relaxed.
 

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