Etihad Finally Confirmed My Abu Dhabi Stopover Hotel... With A Catch

I take it this doesn't apply to AAdvantage awards in Etihad First and Biz?

Ritz in Abu Dhabi is horrible (especially pool service). Consider the Shangri La instead.

Four Seasons is brand new and attached to the same mall that the Rosewood is. I'd stay there, as I appreciate the location for proximity to shops/ restaurants in the mall and proximity to downtown.
Ritz Carlton is tried and tested and has a nice location on the canal. I'd only stay there if I was staying for Friday night, As I'd go to the brunch there at the Ritz (amazing), go to drinks at P&C at the Shangri - La for mosque-view cocktails, then stumble home afterwards. Otherwise, there's not much in that area.

Given that the Khaleej Suite at the Emirates Palace is completely bookable, I would still gun for that.

Possibly to ask for a comparable suite at another property if they don't book the Khaleej Suite at Emirates Palace? Disappointing that they advertise that hotel for Residence guests but don't honor it.

Yeah, why don't you push back and get what was promised/paid for???

I made a free stopover also at the Jumeirah. It took 12 hours until Etihad confirmed my reservation 🙂

If I were you Lucky, I would hold my ground and ask for the Emirates Palace suite they promised.
If they are not willing to offer what they advertise, I'd just cancel the ticket.
For something like the Residence, this kind of nonsense is totally unacceptable.

Ask for 2 different hotels for 2 nights! 🙂

@ Lucky - why not push for the suite as promised? Tell them it's bookable using cash so it should be bookable through the airline. It's hard to fathom being given such a runaround after paying a ton of money for The Residence.

Push them for the Emirates Palace suite and do a trip report on that. It's a pretty over the top hotel, I was just there two nights ago.

You're on a paid fare, not an award. Push for what the advertised.

This is totally unacceptable, echo what Tom said to the fullest. They have already messed you around up till now, cancel the ticket. What else will they do from here on out? It' s not funny anymore. Tell them that you will not be partaking in this freak show any longer.

Maybe one reason the suite is not "available" is because of the relatively cheap price you paid for the flight ticket.

Don't stand down! Get what they advertise. Otherwise something is fishy with this post...

Having stayed at the Emirates Palace numerous times including in that suite its lovely. I would push back and say you can wait until day of to get a final answer on the suite. All those other hotels will have availability the day prior to your arrival. Also be sure to stop at the ATM at the EP that has gold bars!

@Lucky - I live in Abu Dhabi and have been to most of these hotels. Jumeirah is an excellent choice, however, the Ritz not so much. I'd highly recommend the Shangri-La. Or, if possible ask them if they could get you into Anantara suites. Trust me, you wouldn't want to stay at the Ritz over these two. Even the Yas Viceroy is really good, but it's fun only during the F1 season.

And as for Shangri-La ask for either a presidential suite or a villa with a private pool.

It seems like Etihad is pretty aloof to not be going out of their way to make this a great experience for you. Do they not realize that you are an influential blogger? If they were good, they would be fulfilling your every request, even if they would say no to the average Residence guest. Who cares if they have to shell out $2000 for some great PR.

Agreed - push for the Khaleej Suite at Emirates Palace. Nothing else in Abu Dhabi is really comparable

That is BS. I would definitely push back, this is an insane bait and switch! At the very least they should be booking a suite at whatever property you choose. If you do venture on your own I'd be interested in your take on the FS, given it's new and not as reviewed.

Hmmm, I guess I am being a total pushover here. I'm going to follow-up and see what they say. I want to see how this plays out, if nothing else. Appreciate the feedback, guys!

Ben,
I'd call their bluff and ask them dates when the Khaleej Suite is available for a "Residence" guest, then adjust your ticket accordingly.

Bait & switch.

Book the suite for the nights you want, then send them the confirmation to the airline and tell them they have your permission to call the hotel and switch it into their rate.

I think they're well aware of who you are and your sexuality. Not acceptable

Honestly, just email them that tou found an available booking and that you would gladly take that 🙂 Not like your paying 7 grand for a flight and wouldnt deserve it + they advertised it.

At the very least a guaranteed room type in a comparable hotel is surely on the cards and it's bizarre that they didn't proactively confirm this - and it does look like there's a dramatic gap between a standard room at a jumeriah or IC and that suite. I like Todd's idea - If it's a voucher unless there's some sort of blackout dates or capacity constraints then that's a good way to leverage them, And also Greg's idea of calling their bluff and saying 'ok what date is it available in 2017.

@lucky: I think you publishing this series ahead of your flight is a mistake and will affect (one way or another) how they treat you. For a unbiased review you should've booked, tried the concierge service,flown and reported back after all that. In the end, if anybody books something similar that would be the only way to see if they are receiving the same level of service. Love the blog, just my $0.02.

Steve - I find it incredibly hard to believe Etihad downgrade hotels for gay passengers...

I also don't know why so many of you think Etihad staff living in Abu Dhabi would all know who Ben Schlapigg is? Even if they know the blog, why would they necessarily recognise the name? The "give me better treatment because I'm a blogger" attitude you want him to take is also bizarre given that removes the credibility of a review - you might as well just get Etihad to write it for him in that case!

Yes. Definitely push back. Hard. You are paying for this trip out of pocket. You're not getting anything with points or comp'ed. $7,000 should count for something! Do they pull this scam every time someone books that flight? I would call the hotel directly and book the suite, then inform Etihad that the reservation is there and they can take care of it, or convert it--or do what they've got to do so you aren't paying. 100% unacceptable. This isn't chicken or beef...this is like being promised a gold Rolex and instead being given a Timex. Both will get the job done but are a world apart.

I'd also like to add this, just because there's rooms available to pay in cash doesn't mean they should have rooms available for residence guests via this perk. Etihad likely has a few rooms set aside for their Residence guests, but they're likely all reserved as well for those dates.

Lucky I have stayed at the emirates palace at the khaleej suite and it is amazing, I love it. You should push for it. It is worth it. Look at the price difference between one and the other!

No they called out "We have another Cairo ticket and adjusted the options down from there. I also Angel has an excellent point in that when you telegraph your itenerary that "survey bias" takes over and it becomes totally skewed. I would say going thru a cabin taking photos also creates "survey bias". You are a smart guy.....you should take a graduate course in statistics and I'll bet you a Khaleej suite night it would forever change the way you blog. And make a great blog immaculate!

I feel that you are not sufficiently frustrated with Etihad over this. You were more critical of them in your post about why you believe they do not offer the best first class service of any airline... whereas this is a great example of false advertising.

Love your blog even though I don't travel much. Would be interested to hear about the Four Seasons. But I agree with the others who say you should push for the better/best hotel.

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is a really lovely hotel. It's not a downgrade; it's actually truly superior to the tacky Emirates Palace.

So much for an independent review.
The Boston Symphony just announced your arrival.
BS.

I'd stay at the Four Seasons over the Ritz Carlton for the second night, if you don't push Etihad to honour their advertising. I suspect you are influenced by the Ritz Carlton because of the loyalty program credit, whereas the Four Seasons stay is outside a formal loyalty credit program, but I think you should just focus on the quality of the hotel itself and not worry about earning and burning for this stay.

I'd certainly like to see a few more Four Seasons reviews.

Is the free hotel for first class passengers available on an award booked with AA miles???

EY is famous (or infamous) for their poor customer service.

Agree with the others. Push for the Emirates suite. If they're showing 4 available, it's not like they're overselling. Get what you paid for 🙂

Hopefully you are aren't in AD during Ramadan!
It closes down during the day
Go to Emirates Palace and get the coffee sprinkled with Gold

@ZacharyB how many Residence seats do they have daily huh? It is 1 seat for every 380 planes, and the number of routes u can count with 1 hand. So if they cannot even fulfill this tiny demand, they shld not even try to market this.

@lucky yeah, ask again. The way EY is handling it makes EY look like an airline to avoid. Even a Residence passenger gets such bad service, and u r a famous blogger as well. Whats the recourse for ordinary folks? Bad.

Have you tried the Park Hyatt on Saadiyat? It's quite nice and very chill. If not, Etihad Towers should be worth checking out (aim for a club room, they used to do free champagne from 5-7PM). And if you really need to get through to Emirates Palace I have friends on their marketing team and would be happy to put you in touch with them...

@flyingfish If you actually read the Terms and Conditions on Etihad's website it states
""Stopover programs" are subject to daily hotel allocation and as a result, all accommodations are subject to availability."

I had the same problem with this airline.All my contacts were blocked.faintheared I booked a points stay at the St Regis.
Poor show Ethiad

@ZacharyB and the availability is there...

I can definitely recommend the Rosewood (!) it's a great hotel with truly excellent staff, a great eye for details and amazing facilities! Make sure to book Club Manor access. 😀

Reward availability of zero when the same product is still available for sale is a concept I thought only applied to the great unwashed masses, not the elite traveler that can buy a ticket in The Residence. Looks like as much of a scam as an hhnors upgrade at a standard property. My guess is that the Etihad PR department will miraculously find the promised suite is actually available for you, shortly after they read your post.

The Etihad Towers Jumeriah is a lovely place to stay. You can see the Emirates Palace across the street. 🙂 Agreed that it has great service, delicious food, huge rooms and so forth.

And to the northwest, you can see the enormous, hundred acre compound that the Emir lives in. He was planning on the Emirates Palace site, but eventually opted for the larger parcel adjacent to it.

Agree with almost everyone here. If they want to pretend it's just an amazing experience worthy of insane ticket prices then honor what you promise. Absolutely pathetic.

@lucky - just adding my voice to say how much I'm enjoying reading your blow-by-blow account of this whole experience. (I do feel bad for you that some parts of this experience are proving difficult, but I guess the life of a travel reviewer means you have to take the good with the bad. And report on it 🙂 ).

I'd love to see a summary post at the end of this, where you give your overall thoughts on good/bad parts of the Etihad Residence experience. Could you do a rundown at the high level, along with links to each individual post so we can read more context?

I think we now know enough about the Residence experience from your posts even before you set foot on the plane. Where are you going to draw the line and cut this off? You might as well cancel the ticket already and save the money.

Etihad is always irresponsible when it comes for Residence passengers it took for ever to reply , made offers they never keep and do not expect any post flight follow up

@ZacharyB
I hope whenever u encounter similar ridiculous situations, u will happily accept such lousy outcomes. EY will always tell u they are out of availability for all their hotels, and u will agree with the clauses as the way u interpret, k?

Lucky got his Suites because he knew it was EY trying to fool him, and he showed them availability, and it became hard to pull such a trick off on him.

And we all know by now the availability is always there...

It also seems they do not provide transfers to the hotel from the airport--like they do if you have a standard long transit window and they provide the hotel. In Business or First with an 8-hour layover (up to 24 hours) they provide a free hotel room-- and limo transfers to the hotel and back. But not with this particular promotion: you need to find an ATM, get some cash and pay for taxis both ways.

Many yrs ago I worked out of Shahah. At the dockyard gate one had to pass one's passport through a small hole in a glass plate with a bit of stretching the passport could be placed directly infront of the bloke who gave the shore pass. If the passport was not placed directly infront of him he sat there not moving. Those with short arms needed help.
Etihad 3 yrs ago I did the stop over at the Dusit Thani I was checked in at 07.15 for two days and got breakfast I could check out at 07.15 2 days later however I checked out at 06.45.
Return trip I booked the hotel through Agoda = hassle even though 24hr check in was advertised. So what is 24hr check in? It may not mean that the 24hrs starts when you check in.
Last yr again at the Dusit Thani check in at 07.15 breakfast and 2 Days later checked out at 06.45. Return stopped at the Crown Plaza booked through (Hala) Etihad and checked in at 23.00 to 23.00 2 days.
Each yr I have contacted (Hala) Etihad and asked for confirmation regarding the 24hr check in ie can I check in at 07.15 and check out at 07.15 48 hrs later = dont' get a sensible reply, always they ask questions re booking, flight confirmation. They are unable or don't want to or are too lazy to answer a simple question.
2019 Etihad flight the stopovers hotels I have booked and paid for. Then remembered the lack of confirmation re check in/out times and I noticed it's not Hala this time.
Sent email re confirm check in times are ie 07.15 to 07.15 48 hrs, return flight 23.00 to 23.00 48hrs later = reply asks for confirmation of flight and hotel bookings, now on 3rd email.
Reminds me of the bloke at the dockyard gate who didn't move unless the passport was placed directly in front of him. Often you'd get to the gate and there'd be a que - the fella wasn't there, he was found out the back praying. The ships crews working 12 hr days the Philo, Thai, Pakistani all shorty dockies working 10/12 hr days plus travel plus get their own food, never mind the workers. Never mind the Etihad customers the payers who need to know basic info'.
Easy money, easy times for some!

Hi, my daughter and her friend are travelling to Europe and on their return flight, They have 18 hours layover at Abu Dhabi airport. Can you give them a hotel room for the night on 31st October. They have connecting flight to Kathmandu by Etihad.

I booked this stopover programme and it was a total shitshow

As you say totally unresponsive service from Etihad, with the airline trying to block out every hotel (!) for the entire month of November as if that’s somehow reasonable

Against my better judgment I managed to get something at the last minute (one of the 3 people allowed to participate in the programme must have cancelled), but when I arrived, the hotel knew nothing of Etihad’s check in policy, and I had to wait the better part of the day to freshen up after my flight from LHR

And for those travelling from London, Etihad has the absolute shittest gate at the shittest terminal (T4 G12)

Anyone considering flying Etihad or availing themselves of this programme — DON’T

My family in abudhabi and ettihat airlines change the flights to 15 hours layover and they r refusing to give a hotel even though they have to provide hotel and food they change the flight without our concern this s terrible.

I'm so glad I came upon this post since I also seem to be getting the runaround from Etihad. Our layover is within their required transit time but each time I get as far as the listed hotels, and before I can choose, the site takes me to a default message telling me to "check the spelling". Their facebook chat gave me an email address for further assistance but they just told me to use the link that I have already been using.

Did you manage to book any hotel through Transit program? Having the same issue..

I am also getting runaround for booking the hotel for long layover of 19hours 5minutes at Abu Dhabi.

This is my ongoing battle and email to damn etihad who have wasted my time and caused me so much stress not only on the complimentary night but on other issues too. So disgraceful

Hi there

Please see attached 5 online booking groups which are showing availability at the Premier Inn at the international airport in Abu Dhabi even though you continue to tell me there is no availability at the hotel for the night of Nov 4/5.

When I booked the return flights for my son and his partner I specifically told an Etihad consultant the dates and booking reference and was told the complimentary accommodation would be available for my son.

They got the accommodation the flight over but since getting to Greece we have just had a nightmare with Etihad over this.

The dates have always shown as available and for nearly 2 weeks I tried to book it online but it wouldn’t process. After continuous emails to you, to the holiday section of Etihad and in social media I’ve tried to get this resolved with no help.

I have found the service and professionalism of Etihad appalling.

We have had NUMEROUS problems

1. The return flight got cancelled by Etihad a month ago and ended up costing me $1500 in 4 nights extra accommodation in Athens and flight changes with Sky Express

2. No one was in Abu Dhabi to meet and greet my child and his partner to transfer them over to the hotel as promised

3. There was no inflight entertainment so the kids were told they would get 10,000 mile flight points. Still no points

4. On getting to the hotel at 1am there was no hot water for them to shower.

The treatment we have been shown by Etihad is nothing short of appalling.

I got similar treatment in 2020 after ELEVEN cancelled flights because Etihad was bumping us off flights selling them to higher bidders… now I have a similar story where Etihad don’t give the complimentary accommodation I was told we would get and yet the hotel shows availability.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

There is obviously availability.

I will take this higher if needed and tell my story all over every social media outlet if we are not listened to or helped.

There is accommodation at the hotel so PLEASE put my son and his girlfriend in an available room overnight on November 4.

Please reply or call me ASAP

Sandra Palmos

I am trying to book a hotel for a stopover in Abu Dhabi.
I have a valid ticket for the family and every time I tried to book, it gives me an error message: "Check your spelling and try your search again."

I also tried to contact Ethad customer care and I couldn't manage to get response.

is there anyone who faced the same issue?

I have been trying to get the 2 nights free accommodation as they advertise however they keep blowing me off as well surprise surprise. I maybe staying 5 nights but I plan on going to the desert so what's the problem with my wanting the 2 nights in Abu Dhabi itself. If Etihad don't want to offer free accommodation they either need to stop advertising it or stiputate that it's only available if your flights are within the 2 days.

I have the same experience As any of you. It is impossible to book a transit stop over. I will travel November 30. One answer is that all hotels are fully booked. Another that it is close to the national day December 2. I don’t understand why hey want so many people to be disappointed. The answering time is extremity long too. Next time I will choose Qatar Airways.

We are facing the same issue, we chose a multi city flight and on the bookings page we were shown the stop over package benefit. After booking our flight there are 0 stopover hotels available -not even 3 star and our travel is not until 2 months. This seems like highly misleading promotion. Why show the promotion when there is no availability for the dates we are booking. Completely disappointed, I had found cheaper tickets for the same route on other airlines but chose Etihad because of the stop over promotion.
Writing this comment so future travellers are not misled by this.

Yes i am horrified! Why does Etihad promise something when you cannot deliver…me & hubby have never travelled Abu Dhabi before and unsure what to do..Customer Service Etihad say they cant help and we fly in from Madrid to Abu Dhabi on 21/9/23 with no place to stay yet…and was hoping to fly out 23/9 back to Sydney, this is a warning to others, be careful when booking, its not what you expect, left a bad taste in my mouth

Write after booking the ticket, I tried to book the free hotel package.
Alas "Your search hotels in Abu Dhabi had 0 results." -- 20 days before departure.

Call the Etihad call center to check on the layover hotel. Unfortunately said is fully book. I only need one way free layover hotel. Who can Help? Your search hotels in Abu Dhabi had 0 results." -- 45 days before departure. Such a big airline company only provides 3 layover hotel. Moreover I book ETihad because have free layover seem like the advertised is not valid

I been dealing with the worst experience ever, for two days I been trying get the complementary hotel they promised and I keep getting one lie after another. One agent says they can’t give me complentary hotel, but discount. I was hoping a manager would sort this problem out, after half hours call on a mobile from abroad I get a manager who can barely speak english who clearly reading a manual. I have lost two days trying to chat with different agents giving different exuses. When finally I speak to their Holiday team who will give me 40% on the luxery hotel, they can no longer offer that either. I try to get a new manager hopefulle speaking english a Mr. Ahmed comes on I try to speak sanse with him, I gave him the complete chain of communication and dissappountmemts and lies, after I was done explaining Mr. Ahmed hung up and sent me a feedback link. I still nowhere close to getting a hotel. This was first and last time taking Etihat. They are bunch of thieves.

I booked my flight on March 5th and selected the 2 nights complimentary stopover program. I selected the hotel but never got the hotel confirmation. They're not giving me comp hotel stay and saying that their policy has changed on March 15th but I booked my flight before that. I tried reaching out multiple times via call and email but they are saying same phrase, our policy has changed and you've to pay for the hotel stay. Pathetic!

Looking for any advice or suggestion.

You are so lucky they sorted it out. My family are traveling in the near future and their system malfunctioned and did not generate some note or voucher etc when i followed the correct booking process online. Now they are refusing to provid ethe free stopover program. For a problem that was created on their system. Please guide me on how you got sorted out otherwise I am going to have 15 people without a hotel for 2 days.

We booked a flight for September 2024. we are currently trying to book the stopover which we chose as the option when booking the flight. The etihad system had a glitch in their system where they didn't charge the service fee. Now etihad insists that we did the wrong thing and they refuse to allow us to make the hotel booking for the stopover. they refuse to even allow us to pay their service fee through another channel. We chose all the correct options But the system failed. Now they refuse to allow us to book the stopover. It has been 2 months since I have been back and Forth with Etihad and they simply call their clients liars and refuse to honor their Stopover. I am disgusted by their service and will never book Etihad again. Mind you I booked 15 tickets.. So 15 ppl are now out in the cold with no hotel stay.I asked other people aswell and they all have the similar problem that means etihad is just fooling they customer about the free stopover

This seems to be scam, similar to the rebate scam.
I booked my ticket earlier this week and I have been relentlessly trying to book a stopover hotel.
The system 'hangs' as soon as I book a hotel. I called Customer Service and they insisted that it would be fine after 1 hr. No surprise, it has been 2 days of me checking the site again and again. The page freezes as soon as I confirm the hotel. This seems to be a scam where they hope that the customer doesn't follow up to claim their free stay. What a pain! I caller their customer service again and I was with them for an hour. They promised that the hotels are indeed available. I asked them what I should do if it gets unavailable by the time their webpage is back. He CUT THE CALL!

hi,
I have the same problem with the stopover offer. Etihad on their site claims: The hotel reservation is in progress, confirmation details will be emailed shortly.
And this for over a month now. Our flight is fast approaching and we don't know where to stay if there is no confirmation. I call them, email Etihad and the hotel several times, they just say - you will get an email. That seems outrageous to me.