A guest house located close to the Burj Al Arab has closed due to the “Dubai Municipality refusing to authorise the renewal of running a guest house in the residential area of Jumeriah”.
In a statement sent to HotelierMiddleEast.com, PR representatives of La Maison d’hôte said that the hotel had closed its doors as of January 11.
However, when Hotelier contacted the PR company, we were told the owners — Julie Renaudie and Claude Berquier — were not able to comment any further.
| Advertisement |
A spokesperson from the DTCM, although stating he couldn't comment on individual cases, said the decision to give licenses was based on regulations set by the Dubai Municipality.
He explained: “We give licences and classification based on planning of the area, so based on the municipality plans.
“We co-ordinate with the municipality who provide us with building usage. Some of them are working without a legal licence and when we discover this we will stop them.
“If a hotel or guesthouse is operating in a residential area we can’t give approval. They [the municipality] will say this area is residential, this area is commercial and this area is for hotels all based on zoning and planning,” he continued.
“They [the owner of the property] have to provide the DTCM with a certificate from the municipality showing they have permission and plus they have to fulfill the DTCM’s criteria. The requirements for the DTCM are laid out in the classification manual that can be found on the DTCM’s website.”
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
Feb 17, 2010 , United Arab Emirates
If this guest house was owned by an Emirati - then I don't think it would shut down!!... Its a shame really!!!
Jan 29, 2010 , Saudi Arabia
zoning laws are a guide, not a straight jacket: when were the applicable zoning laws effective and when did the owners apply for their license? who came first wins always it would seem that the guesthouse was operational therefore did the law change, did neighbors complain, or do we have retro...