Dubai’s hotel sector is showing growth and resilience, with rising inventory and high occupancy rates.
Hotel rooms
The anticipated increase in the number of hotel rooms in Dubai by 2023 is a topic of interest among hospitality professionals. According to the latest available data from STR, Dubai could reach an inventory of 152,499 hotel rooms by the end of the year.
In an exclusive statement, Nikolaidis said: “The hospitality sector in Dubai is booming. Thus, the continuous expansion of hotel inventory to meet increased accommodation needs is fundamental. Dubai is the premier tourism hub in the Middle East and one of the biggest in the world. Its hotel inventory stands at 147,703 rooms. Ongoing investment and confidence in the sector are underpinned by the large hotel pipeline. There are currently 15,637 bedrooms under construction in 57 hotel projects across the city. The high season in November and December is a busy time not only for tourism arrivals but also for hotel openings. Many of them are scheduled to open in the next few months. If the scheduled pipeline materializes on time, Dubai could finish the year with a total of 152,499 hotel rooms.”
Room occupancy
Furthermore, in terms of occupancy, Dubai’s hotel industry has seen a noticeable jump recently. As the market prepares to host the Dubai Airshow and COP28, according to CoStar’s Forward STAR data.
Dubai Airshow
On October 30, Airshow bookings revealed 58.3 percent for November 15 and 59.1 percent occupancy for November 16. At this time last year, numbers for the same dates stood at 53.1 percent and 54.7 percent, respectively.
COP28
In early December, during COP28, Dubai’s hotel occupancy figures will reach 43.7 percent on December 1 and 44.2 percent on December 2. When looking at the same period last year, the metrics were significantly lower, at 29.4 percent and 30.8 percent, respectively.
Nikolaidis added: “COP28 combined with UAE National Day on December 2 and other events taking place during the busy winter period will ensure the city is abuzz. Over 40 percent of all hotel rooms are already booked for the first few days of COP28 as well as New Year’s Eve, so the signs are very promising indeed.”