TRANSIT DXB

Dominic Ellis spends an afternoon at Emirates Terminal 3 and discovers hidden gems where you can work and relax above the duty free stores

Dominic Ellis spends an afternoon at Emirates Terminal 3 and discovers hidden gems where you can work and relax above the duty free stores

“Business or economy?” asks my taxi driver. For the first time in 17 years, I’m not sure how to answer. It’s 11am and as I walk with the hordes into Emirates Terminal 3, I could pass for a bona fide passenger; I’m wearing my suit, carrying a small bag and even have my passport – albeit as a security rather than clearance measure (as it happens I’m issued with a special pass which rather reassuringly, is scrutinised at every turn). Whereas those around me will soon be flying to all corners of Emirates’ network, I’m spending the afternoon as a proxy transit passenger in Terminal 3.

I’ve always been fascinated by the transit element of hub airports, probably on account of the numerable times when I’ve spun off towards UAE arrivals and watched rows upon rows head onto connecting flights; to this day it remains the airport’s commercial lifeblood (indeed the same goes for Qatar and Abu Dhabi), yet it’s a process few origin and destination passengers witness. Dubai International handled 83.6 million passengers in 2016, up 7.2 per cent year-on-year, and more than half were in transit (52 per cent).

Those who aren’t dashing between shops are encouraged to relax in the hotel facilities, which also serve as a stop-gap for delays or other unforeseen incidents (not solely Emirates, I was told flydubai passengers were also accommodated recently).

Dubai International Hotel Deputy General Manager Avinash Menon greets me with a beaming smile as I enter Dubai Duty Free in Concourse B. The first point I make to him is the visibility; unless you spot the small ‘hotel, gym, spa’ sign immediately

ahead, and even more distant Timeless Spa one at the top, you wouldn’t know they were there. “We need to have branding,” he admits, though there is another entrance in Concourse C (plus another hotel in Concourse A, which I’ll touch on later).

One relatively recent change has seen hotel passengers greeted immediately off the aircraft. On average, they receive 150 travellers a day. “The airport is enormous and you tend to get lost,” says Menon. “As long as we have the flight details, we’ll meet you off the aircraft.”

Dubai International Hotel operates more than the hotel elements alone within DXB. Menon says it plans to operate an all-day restaurant and lounge in each of the three concourses – in Concourse D, it only has first and business class lounges; in C, it has the popular McGettigan’s and a lounge and restaurant are coming up.

Four-to-eight hours is where it sees maximum utilisation of rooms, though some have stayed for 12 hours and up to two days. Daily online rates vary between AED700-800 during March. I ask him if he’s ever had anyone like Tom Hanks in

The Terminal. “We had one guest from the US who couldn’t get his visa to Tajikistan, and he stayed with us for a week – he loved it.”

The oldest part of the hotel, in Concourse C, is earmarked for room refurbishments (it was the first 88-room block that came up in 2000) soon, with work most likely starting this summer, though that clashes with the peak travel season.

I visit the hotel in the heart of Concourse B which has 253 rooms (dubaiintlhotels.com). Deluxe rooms are on the lower levels and I’m escorted to the top sixth floor executive floor which has two room types; the ‘normal’ one with a large king size bed and a twin, and there are Junior Suites and Royal suite. Black massage chairs are a welcome touch, along with flight times which ping up on the TV screen.

Executive floor rooms come with lounge access by reception and you can have buffet breakfast and round-the-clock snacks and drinks. Rates vary from 1-3 hours, 4-6 and 7-12 (most popular) and 13 upwards is set at the ‘best available rate’.

We pass through a security check at one of three remote gates for connecting passengers. Around the corner, eight Dnata staff are receiving a briefing, a little further a man is stacking up no end of strollers. Even in quiet times, there’s never a second of inactivity in the world’s largest airport for international passengers.

We head upwards, into the heart of Concourse B. I’m stopped by the ladies on the ‘Be Relax’ stand – their most popular massage is the 10-minute back massage (AED105 dirhams, AED195 for 20 minutes,