Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport (Dubai, UAE - March 2019)

Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport
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I was spending about 24-hours in Dubai and I was meeting someone who was spending only 12hours in Dubai, so I was looking for an inexpensive place near Dubai Airport that provided shuttle as well as early check-in.  The Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport is located across from T3 and in my previous travels I have passed by the hotel numerous times, so I looked online and found a good rate and decided to check it out.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the IHG website or app, and I had some additional requests that I emailed to the hotel and they were very quick to respond.

According to hotel’s website, the shuttle from the airport to the hotel runs every 30 minutes but I was not sure where the shuttle actually stops so I tried to call the hotel but no one every picked up the phone.  The shuttle finally came and it was a 10-15 minute shuttle ride from either T1 or T3 to the hotel.  The hotel itself is quite large and there are a lot of rooms, but there is nothing around the hotel that is within walking distance; everything is about a 10-15 minute car ride away.  Considering the hotel caters to passengers departing and leaving at various times, their policies are a bit different than other hotels.  For example, if you check-in that day and are leaving that night (ie not staying until the next morning) then the breakfast in the morning you check-in is complimentary.  Check-in times can also be early as well, but only as early as 8am if you have booked one night; if you want to get a room earlier you have to book a room for the previous night.

As you enter the hotel’s lobby, the check-in desks are to the left while straight ahead is the waiting area with couches and chairs.  To the right is a little shop where you can buy snacks, drinks, and some basic items.  Further ahead on the right is the breakfast area and the room is large, spacious, and can accommodate a lot of guests.  There is a tour agencies desk in the middle of the lobby as well as bathrooms and meeting rooms as well.  I had arrived around 6am, which was too early for me to check-in but early enough to access the breakfast so I decided to enjoy the complimentary breakfast while waiting for my room.  I have stayed in Holiday Inn Express hotels in the U.S., and their complimentary breakfast is standard and a bit unappealing.  That is what I was expecting here, but at this hotel the complimentary breakfast is very large and has a decent variety of various breakfast items (the breakfast was comparable to that offered in 3-4 star hotels).  There were hot dishes – including eggs, beans, and potatoes – bread, cheese, salad, fruit, coffee, and a variety of other items; overall, I was very impressed with the breakfast. 

I was finally able to check-in and access the room around 8am, and the room itself is a bit underwhelming.  The layout and quality of the room and bathroom reminds me of the ibis hotels, which are also basic hotels that offer lower rates with lower standards of rooms.  As you entered into the room, on the right was the bathroom which contained a side sink, a toilet, and small stand-up shower, as environmentally-friendly, refillable toiletries – one in the shower and one next to the sink (very similar to the ibis hotels).  Further into the room, on the right were the two beds, double-size beds, with a nightstand in between.  Across from the beds was a desk and above the desk was the TV while below was a mini-fridge.  Next to the desk was an large armoire that also was the closet, and if you opened up the closet there was full-length mirror in there.  The beds themselves were of decent size and quality and provided a decent night’s sleep.  The size of the room was also decent, not too grand but not too compact either.  It was a good layover or transit-size hotel room, but only good for a day or two. 

Amenities for guests at the hotel included the complimentary breakfast, parking, a health and fitness center, shuttle to/from the airport (at select timings), laundry service, complimentary wifi, and a computer and printer in the lobby.  The complimentary wifi was available in the lobby for all guests and in the room as well as for guests.  The wifi speed was good enough for checking email, doing work, and streaming videos on YouTube.  The airport shuttle was convenient, but it was limited in its timings so you had to make sure to schedule around the shuttle timings.  As I said, there was little to nothing around the hotel in terms of walking distance; the only thing in walking distance was the metro station, which was a 5-10 minute walk and you are one-stop way from T1 or two stops away from T3. 

Overall, the hotel provided complimentary shuttle, complimentary breakfast and a decent night’s sleep.  The room was basic but clean and updated, and the considering the low price it was a good value.  Overall, the hotel provided a nice and affordable transit or layover hotel.