Emaar stops bookings at three Dubai hotels due to dip in demand

Luxury staycation breaks have remained popular in Dubai despite travel restrictions. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Emaar Hospitality will stop taking bookings at three hotels in Dubai from March 15 until August 31 because of the global effects of the coronavirus on the travel industry and falling demand.

The three hotels are Address Fountain Views at Downtown Dubai, Vida Creek Harbour near Dubai Creek and Vida Emirates Hills located in Emaar's Emirates Hills master development in Dubai.

The National tried to book rooms through the hotels' website, but a message said: "The property is unavailable for these dates".

Despite the booking freeze, gyms, restaurants and pools at the hotels will remain open during the period, Emaar said.

Emaar Hospitality is a subsidiary of Dubai’s top developer Emaar Properties.

"Following the recent global impact on the travel industry drawing us into a state of force majeure, Emaar Hospitality Group has taken the decision to temporarily refocus its operations on a selected number of assets," an Emaar Hospitality representative told The National.

Emaar Hospitality Group was created in 2007. It owns and manages a portfolio of hospitality assets and brands including Address Hotels + Resorts and Vida Hotels and Resorts, in addition to serviced residences, leisure clubs, restaurants and spas, according to its website.

The novel coronavirus, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has now spread to more than 100 countries, killed more than 3,800 people and infected more than 100,000. The rapid spread of Covid-19 has disrupted global supply chains, dampened demand for travel and rattled stock markets globally.

Arabian Travel Market, a major exhibition for the region's travel and tourism industry which was due to take place from April 19 to 22 at Dubai World Trade Centre, has been postponed due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The event will now be held from June 28 to July 1, according to organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions. ATM attracts more than 39,000 professionals from the global travel industry, generating about $2.5 billion (Dh9.18bn) of new business.

The March 17-19 Global Aerospace Summit is now taking place from June 8 to 10.

Global airlines are expected to lose $63bn to $113bn in passenger revenue this year due to the coronavirus, the International Air Transport Association said, after revising an earlier estimate of a $29.3bn loss last month.