Do hotels in the UAE charge a security deposit at check-in?
Based on 2 discussions with 6 participants · Last activity: 7 days ago
TL;DR
Many UAE hotels don't charge a deposit, or ask if you want to leave one — you can simply decline. However, after incidents with guests skipping out without paying, some hotels have doubled deposit amounts or take alternative measures like removing the minibar instead.
What the community said
At one property, the deposit doubled after a guest overstayed and left without paying for the extra night — staff explained the increase was due to this incident.
9 days ago deposit doubled
A deposit isn't always mandatory — you can simply tell reception you don't want to leave one, and check-in proceeds without it.
41 days ago
During a 3-night stay, the deposit wasn't requested or even mentioned at check-in.
54 days ago 3 nights, no deposit
At a 4-star Hilton property, no deposit was collected, but staff removed the minibar contents from the room as a precaution instead.
58 days ago Hilton 4-star
Some hotels make the deposit optional — staff directly ask at check-in whether you'd like to leave one, and you can decline.
62 days ago
After paying for early check-in (arriving at 3am, 1600 AED), no deposit was requested and it wasn't mentioned at all during check-in.
63 days ago early check-in 1600 AED