I fly Emirates from the USA to Africa regularly and when I have a long’ish Dubai connection (longer than 6 hours if flying in First and Business / 8 hours if flying in Economy) I take advantage of their complimentary Dubai hotel stay and transfers.

My last trip however I experienced a bit of a glitch.

I had confirmed the Meridian Hotel for my complimentary overnight but when I checked-in in Seattle they said there printer wasn’t working. They noted I could have customer service in Dubai print it for me… upon arrival in Dubai I made my way to customer service where I waited in line… after 15 minutes I would told that they had had many cancelled flights that day and there was no space at the Meridian. After a further 30 minute wait (in the middle of the night) they found me a room at the InterContinental Festival City Hotel. Phew…

I made my way outside and was ushered into a waiting Mercedes… so far so good. Upon arrival at the InterContinental I waited 20 minutes to check in however they noted they needed additional paperwork from Emirates which I did not have! Another couple was experiencing the same issue. After a further 30 minutes and numerous phone calls I was finally given a room…

Overall I ended up at a nicer hotel… but the extra 2 hours of uncertainty were hardly worth it.

The moral of the story? Make sure you receive your Emirates hotel voucher for your free stay in Dubai upon check-in in your home city. Without a voucher you will likely be delayed while space is hopefully found for you.