Review: Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel Terminal 1

Update: Move to Terminal A

All flight operations have now moved to the new Terminal A at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. The transit hotel in Terminal A is called the AUHotel. Read my review of the AUHotel here.

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Aerotel Abu Dhabi – The Expat Flyer view

This is my review of the transit hotel in Terminal 1 at Abu Dhabi Airport. This stay took place before COVID-19 and while the hotel was being managed by Aerotel, part of Plaza Premium.

Highs	Lows
Comfy beds Thoughtful design Retro views of the tarmac 8 hours of sleep	Noisy AC Middle of the night fire alarm No blackout blinds

My least favourite aspect of expat life in the Middle East is the number of flights departing in the wee hours from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports.

I try to avoid red-eye flights but it is not always possible. For certain destinations from Abu Dhabi, often the only option is to depart in the middle of the night.

I recently had to make a last-minute trip to London. The only flight with Etihad Guest Seats available at short notice in Business was a 3 am departure from Abu Dhabi.

A 3 am departure is about as bad as it gets. There’s little chance of getting any sleep before you have to head to the airport. By the time the plane has taken off your body is already beginning to wake up. Your night and the next day are essentially a write-off.

My solution was to book a night in the Aerotel.

What is the Aerotel?

The Aerotel is an airside transit hotel located in Terminal 1 at Abu Dhabi Airport.

The brand is part of the Plaza Premium Group. They operate airport hotels, both airside and landside at 9 airports around the world including Muscat and London Heathrow.

Quick and easy check-in

I arrived at the airport a few minutes after 8 pm. At that time of the evening the check-in area, immigration and security were all pretty quiet. I was through in a few minutes.

The Aerotel is located just to the right of the security channel in Terminal 1. It shares an entrance with the Al Dhabi lounge which is also run by Plaza Premium.

There was one receptionist on duty and with no one else checking-in, I was dealt with immediately. The receptionist checked my passport and boarding pass and confirmed the departure time of my onward flight.

From curb to hotel room could not have taken more than 10-15 minutes.

Room and Amenities

The Aerotel offers three room types, Solo, Double Plus and Double Square. The rooms have a maximum occupancy of 1, 2 and 4 people respectively.

Although travelling alone I booked a Double Plus room as the Solo rooms do not have en suite bathrooms. The Solo rooms do however have access to shared bathrooms.

My first impression of the room was very soothing and calming. The combination of muted colours and warm lighting felt both contemporary and comfortable.

My Double Plus room was spacious with plenty of space to store carry-on luggage. The room was also well-stocked with all of the amenities you could possibly need during a short stay. The only thing missing was an iron and ironing board, but I guess there is little need for that in transit.

I really liked the retro-style view of the tarmac through the narrow slits on the upper level of Terminal 1.

Surprisingly, the window blinds were not completely blackout. A little bit of light pollution from outside made it into the room. It seemed like an oversight considering how carefully the rest of the design and layout had been thought through.

Bathroom

I had a quick shower before heading to bed. The bathroom was immaculately clean, well-stocked in terms of toiletries and amenities. Importantly, there were plenty of towels.

The only oddity in the bathroom was the refillable body lotion and hand soap next to the sink. I appreciate the green gesture but the handmade labels did not look very premium and jarred with the overall design.

Sleeping in the Aerotel

I was asleep by 9 pm. The beds were extremely comfortable and the bedding very cosy. The AC unit in the room was a little noisy but not enough to stop me sleeping. It probably acted a bit like a white noise machine.

At some point in the night, the fire alarm went off. Thankfully, not for very long and I fell back asleep very quickly.

Exactly one 1 hour and 10 mins before departure I received a wake-up call from reception. I managed to get up, checkout and walk over to my departure gate in Terminal 3 within 15 minutes of the wake-up call. I was at the gate well before boarding started.

Booking the Aerotel

Although the Aerotel is part of the Plaza Premium. There is no way to access the Aerotel using any lounge programme.

There are two options for booking the Aerotel. Advance reservations online or walk-in. With both options, there is a minimum booking of six-hours required.

Online reservations are charged in USD. Prices start from USD $71 for six hours in a Solo room and USD $129 in a Double Plus room.

Walk-ins are charged in AED. Walk-in prices do appear to be slightly cheaper. However, there is obviously no guarantee of a room being available. Current walk-in prices are:

• Solo rooms: AED 250 (AED 25 for each additional hour )
• Double Plus Room: AED 450 (AED 50 for each additional hour)
• Double Square Room: AED 600 (AED 50 for each additional hour)
• Shower: AED 75

The Aerotel also offers the option to add one-hour of access to the next door Al Dhabi lounge for AED 50 per person. The Al Dhabi lounge is part of Lounge Key so many UAE based expats would be able to visit the lounge for free using their local credit card.

In addition to the transit hotel, Aerotel operates two REFRESHHH by Aerotel locations in Abu Dhabi Terminal 3. These are basically small sleep pods without any shower or bathroom facilities. These two locations are currently closed.

Was the Aerotel Abu Dhabi worth it?

Absolutely, yes.  Even with the middle of the night fire alarm, I managed to get over 8 hours of sleep that night between the Aerotel and the plane. That’s more sleep than a normal night for me and I arrived in London feeling very fresh and raring to go.

On arrival in London, I dropped by the excellent Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 4.

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