Thunderroad

My wife and I will be transiting through DXB on a Tuesday evening in October, CDG-DXB-SFO in EK F. We arrive DXB at 8 pm and depart the next morning at 9:10 am. I assume we're not eligible for Dubai Connect, as these are award tickets.

So a few questions about staying at the Dubai International Hotel vs. going to a hotel near the airport:

1. If we stay at the DIH, do we have access to the EK F lounge the evening we arrive, such as for dinner and drinks?
2. If we instead head to a hotel near the airport, is there one that would be nice in terms of a bar with a good view, a nice place for an evening walk, or a nice nearby restaurant for dinner? We'd be particularly interested in a hotel associated with a major chain, as we have points with Marriott, Hilton, IHG, etc.
3. Since we also have AA miles that we could use to stay at the DIH fairly inexpensively (miles-wise), any recommendations on whether we should do that versus going to a hotel near the airport? FWIW, we have already been to Dubai a few times and liked it, but don't feel a need to try to squeeze in a bit of an exploration on such a short stay.

Thanks for any advice.

Metanoia

1) Yes, you will have full access to the F lounge the entire time. They stop serving dinner and change over to breakfast sometime around 3:30-4am.
2) The Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference center is a short taxi ride away and has tons of restaurants and has nice enough grounds to walk around.
3) If you don't mind being cooped up in the airport, the DIH is great, you'll probably end up having a late dinner at the lounge and sleeping till the next morning anyway. I typically stay at the DIH the evening before my morning flights to the west coast, wake up and get on the flight so I'm quite used to it and enjoy the convenience.

Thunderroad

Thanks, Metanoia!

pollycat

I did what Metanoia described over the past weekend.
Arrived in DXB around 12:30 midnight at the C gates.
Made my way over to the centre of the B gates and checked into the Dubai International Hotel there. They have an East and a West reception desk, so check the booking for which one to go to if you haven't ordered their Meet and Greet service.
Easy quick check-in.
Then made my way to the F lounge in the B gates for a bite to eat and something to drink. It was very quiet and most people there were napping in chairs.
Then returned to my room for a wonderful few hours' sleep before checking out at 8am, making my way to my A gate, getting a bite of breakfast in the F lounge at the A gates, then boarding from within the lounge for my flight at 9:55am.
I'm glad I stayed in a hotel airside and maximised my sleeping time and didn't have to bother with security etc. in the morning.

Thunderroad

Yeah, the more I think about both your and M's comments, the more sense they make. Thanks, pollycat!

Metanoia

Also, DIH at B gates is a "safe" bet as you're max 20 minutes from any EK gate. If you are confident that the flight generally departs from A (looking at flightaware history), then maybe stay there but there's always a chance you draw the short stick and end up at C1. I usually go with B. Plus, the champagne bar is just downstairs...

Thunderroad

Thanks very much, but I'm a bit confused as I don't know the airport very well. I assume we're talking about Terminal 3, but what do you mean by DIH at B gates as opposed to A or C? Isn't it just one hotel? Or is it different hotels for the A, B or C gates? Thanks for any help you can provide regarding my confusion.

Metanoia

Ah, sorry... when you book, you may have the choice of booking your room in A concourse, B concourse, or C concourse, which are all part of Terminal 3. Each concourse has a separate hotel facility, the newest of which is A, and less new B, etc. If you are not presented with a choice with your particular booking tool, book your desired room class and then e-mail [email protected] to tell them which concourse you want to be in. They're pretty flexible and they can change it on check-in if you so desire, if there is availability.

Thunderroad

Oh, good to know. Thanks very much!

pollycat

Just to add that I booked my room on booking.com and there you are given specific choices as to which concourse you want to stay in.
As Metanoia described, I had no idea where my planes would arrive or leave from, so I plumped for the central Concourse B location as a safe bet.

Silverswimmer

And take advantage of the Meet & Greet-its FOC. Their staff know all the shortcuts and whisk you through Security and into the Hotel Reception PDQ
I always choose B Hotel,especially as you will never know your Departure Gate, being in C and having to get to A could be a pain..
SS

Flaneurs

I would just add that as you are flying to SFO it is extremely likely you will indeed be out of the B gates (4 out of our last 6 to USA). I prefer the “A” F lounge and so we recently stayed in an executive room at DIH but asked for A concourse anyway. The meet and greet was fantastic and having a place to relax and sleep was spectacular. AWESOME massage chairs in the executive rooms. Overall much better than leaving the airport if you have 8-10 hours. FWIW the entrance to the “B” F lounge is still under construction and so you have to walk down quite a way to enter. Don’t forget you can email the spa also and prearrange your free treatments in advance at the times you desire.

Thunderroad

Thanks very much for this additional information, folks. Really useful!

Flaneurs, re: "Don’t forget you can email the spa also and prearrange your free treatments in advance at the times you desire."

You're talking about the 15-minute treatments in the lounge, right? What's the email address for reserving those? The same as for the hotel, posted upthread?

Thanks again.

Flaneurs

Sorry for the slow response. Yes, it is for all sorts of spa appointments including the “free” ones included with first and business class tickets. I believe the email address is still [email protected]