Three names, three things
- Hotel apartmentA hotel whose rooms have kitchens. Licensed as a hotel establishment, with a front desk, daily housekeeping and a star rating. Rates per night, hotel fees added
- Serviced apartmentA marketing term, not a licence. It can mean a hotel apartment, a corporate let in a residential tower with weekly cleaning, or a holiday home with a cleaner. Ask which
- Holiday homeA private apartment or villa licensed for short stays by the Department of Economy and Tourism, with a permit number, run by a licensed operator or a registered owner. No front desk; a host
The licence is what separates them, and it decides what you can expect. A hotel apartment answers to the hotel regulations and has staff on site around the clock. A holiday home answers to the holiday home regulations and has an operator you can call. A "serviced apartment" answers to whatever it actually is underneath the name, so the first question is always: which licence?
What you actually get
- ServiceHotel apartment: daily housekeeping, reception, often a restaurant and a gym. Holiday home: a clean on arrival and departure, a mid-stay clean if you ask, a host on the phone
- The home itselfHotel apartments are uniform: the same kitchen and sofa in every unit. Holiday homes are someone's home, furnished to be lived in, with a real kitchen and a real view
- LocationHotel apartments cluster on the main roads and in the hotel districts. Holiday homes are in residential towers and streets, where people live
- Check-inHotel apartment: a desk, any hour. Holiday home: a person meets you at an agreed time, or a lockbox
How each is priced
Hotel apartments are priced like hotels: a nightly rate per unit, then the Tourism Dirham per unit per night at the hotel rate for their star category, a municipality fee and a service charge, then VAT. Monthly rates exist and are negotiated at the desk. Holiday homes are priced per home per night, with the Tourism Dirham at AED 10 or 15 per bedroom per night for up to 30 nights, 5% VAT, a cleaning fee and a refundable deposit; monthly rates are a different, lower number.
A unit called a serviced apartment is priced however the thing underneath is priced. If it is in a residential tower with no front desk and the quote has a cleaning fee and a deposit, it is a holiday home and should have a permit number. If it has reception and daily cleaning, it is a hotel apartment. The full breakdown is in our guide to how renting a holiday home in Dubai works, and how to check the permit is a one-minute job.
Which suits which stay
- A business weekA hotel apartment near the office, for the desk, the housekeeping and the invoice
- A family holidayA holiday home, for the bedrooms, the real kitchen, the pool in a residential building and the quiet
- A month or a winterA holiday home at a monthly rate, in a neighbourhood. See a month in Dubai
- A couple, three nightsEither, and often a plain hotel. The cleaning fee makes a home less attractive for a short stay
Questions we are asked
What is the difference between a hotel apartment and a holiday home in Dubai?
A hotel apartment is a hotel with kitchens: licensed as a hotel, with a front desk, daily housekeeping and hotel fees. A holiday home is a private apartment or villa licensed by the tourism department for short stays, run by an operator or owner, with a host rather than a staff, and priced per home with a cleaning fee and a deposit.
Is a serviced apartment in Dubai the same as a holiday home?
Not necessarily. Serviced apartment is a marketing term. It may be a hotel apartment, a corporate let, or a holiday home. Ask which licence it holds: a hotel establishment licence or a holiday home permit with a number.
Which is cheaper, a hotel apartment or a holiday home in Dubai?
For a week or more with three or more people, usually the holiday home, which is priced per home rather than per unit with hotel fees. For a short business stay, a hotel apartment is often simpler and sometimes cheaper. Compare the totals for your dates, with every fee included.
Next in the journal
Holiday homes in Dubai: how renting one works. What a licensed holiday home is, what you pay beyond the nightly rate, which area suits which trip, and how booking and check-in work.
All the guides
