Do Abu Dhabi hotels charge a security deposit at check-in, and how much is it?

Follow-up tip on the 500–1500 AED deposit negotiation: it's better to pay the deposit in dirhams — even if paid in dollars, the refund will be given back in dirhams anyway.

At one hotel, the deposit reportedly scales with length of stay: around 500 AED for stays longer than 3 nights, and around 1000 AED for 5–6 night stays.

At one all-inclusive family-oriented hotel, no security deposit was charged at all — only a tax of about 200 AED was paid at check-in.

Reports about the same hotel are conflicting: some say no deposit is charged, while others cite 200 AED per night or a flat 1600 AED for the whole stay.

Rixos hotel charges a cash deposit of approximately 100 AED per night. It's practical to withdraw dirhams from an ATM in advance rather than paying by card.

At one hotel, the deposit started at 1500 AED, was negotiated down to 700, and ultimately settled at 500 AED. Check-in was refused without payment. Photographing the room immediately upon arrival is strongly recommended to avoid disputes at checkout.

At the Hyatt, instead of a free check-in offer, guests were given a $200 per person discount — staff did not mention any deposit waiver option.