Guys, Emirates may surely be helpful to those who fly them, but coming from the same region as the OP I have a suspicion he is NOT flying EK. The airline does not serve our countries.

I am also going to DXB for the first time in April (flying BT), and found out about the strange visa regulations after booking my tickets. Had I known the extent of the hassle before, I'd probably not have bought the flights.

Anyway, I have no choice now hence my question: which of the DXB hotels is known to charge the least for visa assistance? And would a party of four be able to save on intermediary charges for visas rather than each member paying the full price such as the above-mentioned 450 AED?