DTCM clarifies Dubai's hotel classification law

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has outlined the new Hotel Classification Scheme for Dubai which was decreed at the recent ATM show in an interview with Hoteliermiddleeast.com.

Aimed at improving transparency about the type and quality of hotel rooms and accommodation in the emirate, the DTCM’s Majid Al Marri has confirmed that the law introduces new categories for both university campuses and youth hotels along with a new rating for properties falling between standard and deluxe accommodation, which it will call Superior.

The Superior rating aims in particular to categorise the growing number of serviced hotel apartments in the emirate. “We found there was a gap in this area, which is why there is also a new category for serviced apartments,” Al Marri adds.

The changes also signify the DTCM’s new approach to the hotel classification law, which was first introduced in 1998 with the aim of promoting Dubai as a major destination, but will now focus strongly on the services offered by a property to assist visitors in their choice of accommodation.

“There are 18 designators, which hotels can optionally add to their classification, which will help them to better market their service as well as giving guests more information about those services,” Al Marri says.

These designators include options such as ‘sea-view’ hotels, ‘desert’ hotels and ‘spa and wellness’ hotels, but also fall in line with the emirate’s recently announced Vision 2020 strategy aiming to draw 20 million visitors by 2020 with a specific focus on the 'family' market, which is also categorised as one of the 18 designators.

New E-services will also be fully available online for hoteliers by the end of the year. “Basically, every hotel will have its own page when it logs on to the online system, where they can go through the criteria, complete simple assessments and submit applications. It will improve both the communication and the speed of processing between the DTCM and the hotel sector,” Al Marri adds.