Imagine this: you're on a luxury holiday in Dubai, seeking an escape, only to find yourself seeking refuge in a hotel basement for 15 agonizing hours. This was the stark reality for one British tourist and her family when a series of retaliatory strikes, reportedly from Iran, rocked the city.
Our story begins with a seemingly ordinary Saturday afternoon. The tourist, accompanied by her partner and young toddler, was enjoying a meal when a "big bang" shattered the peace. Initially dismissing it as a car backfiring, a second, more forceful explosion quickly dispelled that notion. "The second [bang] was almost like the earth shook," she recounted, "and we were just like ‘we need to get back to the hotel.’" The urgency was palpable as everyone in the restaurant scrambled back to the hotel's main entrance.
And this is the part most people miss: As they rounded a corner, the horrifying sight of black smoke billowing from the Fairmont The Palm Hotel, a luxurious establishment directly opposite, became visible. Upon entering their own hotel lobby, guests were immediately directed to the basement as a safety measure. "We saw that in real-time which was pretty insane," she shared.
Footage circulating at the time depicted the front entrance of The Palm engulfed in flames, with reports indicating an Iranian missile strike on the upscale hotel located in the coveted Palm Jumeirah area. Tragically, four people were reported injured in this incident.
Following the strikes, guests from the five-star hotel were compelled to spend the night in the carpark. Harrowing images shared by a Russian outlet showed hundreds of mattresses spread across the floor, interspersed with parked vehicles, makeshift food distribution points, and families with young children huddled together amidst the chaos as staff worked to implement safety protocols.
Meanwhile, at the British tourist's hotel, guests also found themselves in the basement, situated on the third floor beneath the building. Despite assurances from the hotel at various points that it was safe to return to their rooms, the mother, prioritizing her toddler's safety, opted against it. "I thought with a toddler I am not going to take any chances," she explained. "And obviously lugging all her stuff up and down 10 flights of stairs wouldn’t have been ideal. So we decided to stay in the hotel basement [for 15 hours]."
She described the situation as the "lesser of two evils." The thought of being in her room, constantly worrying about a potential missile strike, was more unsettling than remaining in the perceived safety of the basement. "I thought if I was in my room I wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking a missile might hit," she confessed. The constant ringing of phones in the basement, triggered by a hotel alert system, added to the pervasive sense of unease.
Throughout the night, the unsettling sound of "the odd missile" could be heard, a terrifying soundtrack to their ordeal. "There’s lots of people with kids, lots of people who are quite shaken up, lots of people who are at the start of their holiday who just want to go home," she lamented on Sunday, summarizing the prevailing "feeling of unrest."
But here's where it gets controversial: In response to the weekend's missile strikes, which the United Arab Emirates stated targeted civilian infrastructure including Jebel Ali Port and airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE took decisive action. On Monday, they recalled their ambassador from Iran and closed their embassy in Tehran. This move underscores the gravity of the situation and the diplomatic fallout.
Furthermore, a coalition of Middle Eastern nations, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Qatar, alongside the United States, issued a joint statement condemning Iran's actions. They characterized the attacks as a "dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability," emphasizing that "the targeting of civilians and of countries not engaged in hostilities is reckless and destabilising behaviour." The statement affirmed their collective commitment to regional security and their right to self-defense, commending the effectiveness of air and missile defense cooperation in mitigating potential devastation.
What are your thoughts on this situation? Is it ever truly safe to stay in a hotel during such an event, or is the basement always the better option? Share your views in the comments below!
