I Skipped The Lounge And Spent My 7-Hour Layover At Grand Hyatt Dubai…

I tried something different in Dubai, spending my extended layover at the Grand Hyatt Dubai rather than in the Emirates Lounge.

Grand Hyatt Dubai Review – A Nice Layover Hotel

I’ve trained myself to be productive during layovers…it’s generally a time when I can go to a lounge, sit myself down, and get a lot of work done.

We landed in Dubai at 7:00 pm on Air India and our United Airlines flight to Newark did not leave until 2:15 am, a 7-hour layover. Had I been alone I would have just proceeded to the Emirates Lounge, parked myself, probably ate quite a bit, but got my work done for the next day.

My friend (quite understandably) did not feel like sitting in a lounge for several hours, so I booked a room at the nearby Grand Hyatt Dubai…and it worked out to be quite well. Passport control lines were long, but we jumped in an Uber and reached the hotel by 8:15 pm (giving us about five hours).

I booked a room with two single beds (the price was nearly $300 but I had used a category 1-4 free night certificate) and was assinged a room on the Grand Club floor, though oddly the lounge was already closed (not even open for drinks and dessert).

The room was dated…the hotel is dated…but the room was clean and cool.

While my friend slept, I went downstairs and did a heavy workout, went swimming in the indoor pool, then spent an hour in and out of the sauna and steam room…it worked out very well.

I returned to the room, got some work done, then we went back to the airport at 1:00 am (we probably cut it a little too close), arrived at 1:1op, checked dropped off our bags, and headed to the gate where boarding had already begun.

I settled onboard, ordered dinner, and prepared for a relaxing flight, tired from the work and workout.

Yes, I guess I’d still choose the lounge if traveling alone, but booking a hotel room for an extended layover worked out very well in this case. Sorry, no Emirates Lounge review this trip…