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Woman stranded at Taj Dubai racks up ₹6 lakh bill: ‘Hotel is saying if you can’t afford it, then leave’
After airspace closures in Dubai, many tourists, including Emilia Vasquez, are left with mounting hotel bills and uncertainty.
Tourists stranded in Dubai are facing not just the emotional toll of being in danger but also the very disturbing reality of rising bills.
When the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, the resulting retaliation from Iran also targeted a number of Gulf countries, including the UAE. UAE’s Dubai, long considered a safe haven in an otherwise turbulent Middle East, also became a target of Iran’s retaliatory attacks. The drone and missile attacks on Dubai led to the closure of airspace over the city and the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving thousands of tourists stuck in the glitzy city.
One among such numbers was Emilia Vasquez, an American professional who was in Dubai to celebrate her birthday.
Stranded in Dubai
According to a Business Insider report, Vasquez is a business development manager for Goodwill who landed in Dubai on February 26. She and her 6-year-old son booked a room at Taj Dubai to welcome Vasquez’s birthday.
Two days after they checked in, the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Vasquez found herself stuck in Dubai as the airspace closed. (Also read: Zepto techie stranded in Dubai reaches Oman, books ₹40,000 flight to Bengaluru)
For the American professional, the cancellation of her flight did not just disrupt her travel plans — it also left her with a growing hotel bill.
She was staying at Taj Dubai hotel, a 5-star hotel near the Dubai Mall which cost her roughly $300 ( ₹27,500) a day as room tariff alone. She was spending another $200 every day on food and other amenities.
Tourist pays ₹6 lakh in Dubai
After a week of being stranded in Dubai, she had spent $6,800 — or ₹6.2 lakh approximately.
Although the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates announced on March 1 that the State would be bearing “all hosting and accommodation costs for affected and stranded passengers”, there has been no update on how tourists can get their bills reimbursed.
"I'm being responsible for paying for this hotel, the hotel literally telling us that if I cannot afford the hotel to leave and go somewhere else," Vasquez told Business Insider on Wednesday. "I don't feel safe to leave the hotel and go somewhere else. So I've been extending the days every day."
Vasquez explained that she could not leave the Taj Dubai and go elsewhere as she did not feel safe stepping out.
As some airlines resumed service from Dubai on Friday, she was able to fly out of the UAE. Many, however, are still stranded in Dubai with mounting bills and no way out.
(Also read: Over 52,000 Indians returned home from crisis-hit Middle East since March 1, says MEA)
