Mileo The Palm says regional guests now account for 45% of room nights, as demand shifts towards greater space, flexibility and hotels that offer more beyond the guest room
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 2026: GCC travellers are changing the way they experience Dubai hotels, with Mileo The Palm seeing regional guests staying longer, spending more and increasingly choosing larger accommodation as the property itself becomes a bigger part of the travel experience.
GCC guests currently account for 45% of Mileo The Palm’s room nights, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman representing its top four GCC markets. They stay for an average of three nights and above, compared with around two nights and below across the hotel’s overall transient guest base, while spending approximately 20% more.
But it is what regional guests are choosing, and what they expect in return – that Mileo The Palm believes signals a wider shift in GCC travel. The majority of its GCC bookings are for suites or larger room categories, with guests generally travelling as larger families and placing greater value on space, privacy and flexibility.
That preference is reflected in the accommodation itself. Rooms at Mileo The Palm are approximately 30% larger than the standard, while fitted kitchenettes in all room categories provide families with greater flexibility throughout their stay. For larger and multi-generational groups in particular, the combination of additional space and residential-style convenience allows families to spend time together without sacrificing privacy or comfort.
“Regional guests are becoming much more intentional about the experience they want from a hotel,” said Hossam Nabil, General Manager of Mileo The Palm. “The room remains important, but increasingly we are seeing guests consider the full stay. Space, privacy, family convenience, dining, wellness and leisure facilities all play a role in that decision.”
For Mileo The Palm, this is changing the traditional relationship between guest and hotel. While international travellers may use their hotel as a base from which to experience Dubai, for regional travellers taking shorter breaks or staycations, the hotel has increasingly become the destination itself. At Mileo The Palm, that shift can be seen across the wider guest experience. Private beach access and pool experiences remain strong attractions for regional families, while Mileo SPA, the hotel’s gym and Kids’ Club give different generations more ways to spend their time without having to leave the property.
Dining is becoming an equally important part of that proposition. Mileo The Palm is home to seven varied F&B concepts, designed around different tastes, occasions and times of day.
Fan Zone Sports Bar combines live sport, big screens, cold beverages and casual bites, while Papagalos Restaurant brings Mediterranean dining to the property through Greek and Turkish-inspired cuisine and sharing-style plates. AY Restaurant provides relaxed all-day dining from breakfast through dinner, while Matcha 16 Café offers a calmer, design-led setting centred around premium matcha and moments of mindful pause. AYA Rooftop shifts the experience into the evening with skyline views, music and elevated dining. The portfolio also includes the more intimate Cigar Lounge, built around rare cigars, aged spirits and a slower-paced setting, while Aka Sushi, a Japanese restaurant and lounge, is set to open soon, further broadening the property’s dining mix.
Rather than simply adding amenities around the room, Mileo The Palm believes this breadth of choice is becoming increasingly relevant to regional families who want the freedom to build more of their stay around one destination.
“For larger and multi-generational families, convenience matters, but they don’t necessarily want that convenience to come at the expense of choice,” added Hossam. “Being able to move between the beach, pool, spa, different dining experiences and family facilities while still having the space and privacy of larger accommodation creates a much more flexible stay.”
This is also helping blur the line between traditional hotels and residential-style hospitality. Rather than choosing between the space and freedom of a private residence and the facilities and service of a hotel, Mileo The Palm believes regional guests increasingly want elements of both.
Larger accommodation and fitted kitchenettes provide greater independence, particularly for families and longer stays, while on-property dining, wellness, leisure and children’s facilities provide the convenience traditionally associated with a full-service hotel.
“What we are seeing is a preference for flexibility,” continued Hossam. “Guests want the service and facilities of a hotel, but with the space, privacy and freedom they would associate with a private residence. That combination is becoming increasingly important for the regional market.”
Mileo The Palm expects GCC travel to remain a significant contributor to Dubai’s hospitality sector as regional connectivity strengthens and short-haul travel remains attractive. Capturing that demand, however, will increasingly require hotels to think beyond the room, combining greater space and residential-style convenience with dining, wellness, leisure and family experiences that allow guests to shape an entire stay around the property – because for the regional traveller, the hotel is increasingly becoming part of the reason to travel in the first place.
