Originally Posted by
gbeb
Exactly what Johnnieboy said - you might get some flexibility ±1hr or so, but as soon as they see you've got a 17hr layover, they will make sure you leave after 6, maybe 7 hours.
Sorry bit late to the party here. I managed to squeeze eight hours once by requesting a room an hour ahead of time, starting dinner propping up the bar for an hour, had six hours in the room, then had another hour (breakfast propping up the bar) before leaving.
The staff have a very uncanny knack of knowing exactly where you are. Five minutes before my six hours room access were up, I had a knock at the door, but I was literally seconds away from vacating anyway.
You can pay again to extend, I asked them this on entering on the above occasion, and they confirmed, however I never found I needed to then.
If you have 17 hours, personally I'd book the airside hotel for a base, or if you'd prefer, a cheaper option outside. I had a 26 hour layover a couple of years ago, on a through F ticket, and although I could've spent the entire time in Al Safwa I prefer the rooms in the airside hotel.