An airside transit hotel has just opened at Abu Dhabi International Airport (now known as Zayed International Airport).
In this post:
Abu Dhabi Airport’s airside transit hotel
In late 2023, we saw the opening of the new Terminal A at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The terminal is gorgeous, and marks an exciting new chapter for the airport, and by connection, for Etihad Airways. The terminal has lots of great features, including a beautiful Etihad First Lounge, Etihad Business Lounge, and Pearl Lounge (accessible with Priority Pass).
As I noted when I visited the airport, one thing missing was an airside transit hotel. Fortunately that has finally changed. We’re now seeing the opening of AUHotel, which is the airport’s airside transit hotel. Hah, that’s a fun name when you read it, though I’m curious how it’s pronounced — is it a-u-hotel, or…?
Oddly the hotel doesn’t yet have a website, but it’s bookable via many online travel agencies.
The property has 138 rooms spread across three floors, and entry level rooms are 15 square meters (~161 square feet). The hotel pricing is fair, and seems to start at around $150 per night (you pay for the convenience of being in the terminal). I imagine that soon it will be possible to book shorter time blocks online, and hopefully those are less expensive.
There’s a great convenience to airside transit hotels, but…
When it comes to airport hotels, I generally have strong preferences:
- There’s a huge advantage to staying in an airside transit hotel, so you don’t have to worry about clearing customs and immigration, and can head straight to your gate
- For hotels not inside the transit area of an airport, I greatly prefer airport hotels that are directly connected to an airport (or that you can easily walk to), rather than ones that require shuttles, which are often unreliable
The beauty of many transit hotels is that you can book them in fairly short increments, as a few hours in a bed can work wonders between long flights.
All that being said, in Abu Dhabi I wouldn’t necessarily value this quite as much as at other airports:
- Immigration is always super quick in Abu Dhabi when entering and departing the country, given that a vast majority of passengers are connecting
- Abu Dhabi is a good value hotel market, and you can find all kinds of luxury properties at a reasonable cost, and if you’re booking a one night stay, you can get incredible value through programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or Virtuoso
- There are also many hotels that aren’t far from the airport, like on Yas Island
- Abu Dhabi can be a fun city for a quick stopover as well, as there are lots of easy things to see, whether it’s the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque or the Louvre Abu Dhabi
Bottom line
Abu Dhabi Airport’s airside transit hotel, AUHotel, has finally opened. This is a valuable new option for transit passengers with long layovers. It also makes Abu Dhabi Airport’s new terminal quite well rounded in terms of facilities.
Anyone plan on staying at AUHotel?
The new Etihad first class lounge in AUH doesn't even have nap rooms, which is kind of crazy for an airline with so many connecting flights. Last month my wife and I ended up sleeping on chairs in the lounge there and it was pretty awful. This will provide a definite alternative.
Hooray. Wasn’t looking forward to spending a night on the couches in the Etihad Business lounge or the few hours you get in the Relaxation Rooms! Now I can plan on a proper night sleep and a shower without a wait
The AUH airport website is terrible and doesn’t even feature a terminal map. If it does it’s hidden and I checked now and no mention of the hotel.
Not just the website, the whole airport doesn't have a map.
I had a bit long layover so decided to check out the new terminal end to end, which is fun way to get some steps. Not a single terminal map in the whole terminal. Except maybe those fire escape plan signs.