The simple travel hack that gets you a FREE stay in a five-star hotel in Dubai

If a free stay in a five-star Dubai hotel sounds tempting, read on.

Travellers who fly with Emirates can receive a complimentary night’s stay in the UAE city with all their meals included, courtesy of the airline’s ‘Dubai Connect’ programme.

Emirates offers ‘Dubai Connect’ to passengers that have a long layover time in Dubai – they must have between eight and 26 hours until their next flight to qualify for a hotel stay.

Passengers of every cabin class, from first class to economy, are eligible to take advantage of the service.

The airline says that the idea is for passengers to ‘enjoy some downtime before [their] next flight’.

Emirates offers ‘Dubai Connect’ to passengers that have a long layover time in Dubai – they must have between eight and 26 hours to qualify for a hotel stay

When passengers arrive at the airport, a ‘complimentary coach’ takes them to the hotel for their stay. One of the hotels it uses for the service is the five-star JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, which lies in the city’s downtown district and boasts ‘awe-inspiring views of the Dubai cityscape’, the hotel’s website reveals. 

Another hotel in the scheme is the five-star Le Meridien Airport Hotel Dubai, which is ‘nestled within 15 hectares of manicured gardens’ and boasts ‘azure outdoor pools’, its website notes. 

While the airline says ‘all applicable meals are included in your hotel booking’, the passenger must pay for extras such as mini‑bar snacks, spa treatments or added dining expenses.

The Le Meridien Airport Hotel Dubai is ‘nestled within 15 hectares of manicured gardens’ 

One of the hotels that Emirates uses for the service is the five-star JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai (above), which lies in the city’s downtown district

What about visas? The airline says that the Dubai Connect booking includes a complimentary visa. The visa needs to be prearranged prior to arrival for nationalities that require a visa to enter the UAE, or on arrival subject to UAE Immigration approval, the carrier notes. 

How do you take advantage of the offer? After you’ve booked your flights, use your name and reference number to log into your Emirates account. Then, you tap into the ‘manage’ section in your booking and choose ‘Dubai Connect’.

You must choose to add the service at least 24 hours ahead of your flight, the airline notes.

That said, not every passenger is eligible to apply. For instance, certain group bookings don’t meet the criteria, and the offer only applies if you’ve booked on to the best available flight connection – so there’s no point in trying to cheat the system by booking a transfer flight for the next day. 

Emirates isn’t the only airline to offer such a service, which is known as a ‘Stopover Paid by Carrier’ service in the aviation industry. Other airlines that offer it include TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad, IcelandAir and Iberia.