As thousands of motorsport fans flood Yas Island for the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, visitors are facing soaring hotel rates and wide-ranging parking restrictions - even at non–race-related venues - with last-minute stays and convenient parking proving especially difficult.

According to W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island's flyer for F1 stay packages from Thursday, December 1 to Monday, December 8:

• Single occupancy at the 'Spectacular Room' is Dh90,000, with double occupancy priced at Dh92,000.

• Single occupancy at the 'Fantastic Suite' is Dh110,000, while double occupancy costs Dh112,000.

• The 'Fabulous WOW, E-WOW Suite' is available upon request, without a listed price.

All W hotel rooms offer complimentary after-race concert access for each guest - with up to three guests permitted per room. And by staying at the W Hotel on Yas Island, guests can view the races from the property, including from race-view rooms, meaning they typically would not need to purchase a race ticket, explained a clerk.

If one approaches the front desk directly, they could secure better last-minute offers. One on-the-ground breakdown shared with Khaleej Times offered a Friday-to-Monday (three-night) stay - which should typically cost around Dh67,500 for the three nights, excluding the original four-night package since Thursday had already passed - with parking rated at Dh800 per night extra. This was dropped to Dh62,600 with parking included at no extra charge, a net saving of Dh27,400. Meanwhile, a standard no–circuit-view room was offered at Dh45,000.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old petroleum engineer named Nasser said the cheapest room he could find was Dh15,000 for a single night - Friday to Saturday - still well above typical off-peak rates.“The original price for the room was around Dh18,000; they gave me a Dh3,000 discount.”

Such deep mark-ups seem par for the course when you factor in that“the hotel is in the middle of the race,” noted the front desk. The scarcity of rooms, proximity to the action and demand from staying-plus-concertgoers are evidently driving the jump.

Nearby hotels and alternative lodging also reflect inflated rates for a three-night stay from Friday Dec 5, to Monday Dec 8, as per a popular booking platform:

• Hilton Yas Island: Starting from Dh48,020 + Dh11,285 taxes and fees

• Overnight superyacht: Dh32,464
  Original price: Dh36,072, current price: Dh32,464 + Dh7,954 taxes and fees

• Marriott Hotel Al Forsan (3 nights, 2 adults): Dh18,855 + Dh4,431 taxes and fees

• Aloft Abu Dhabi: Dh13,405 + Dh3,150 taxes and fees

These rates reflect the squeeze even on non-luxury stayers as demand surges.

For loyal fans such as Nasser, the premium is worth it:“I was keen to be here tonight - it's the place to be during F1. I come here every year.” Others, though, may opt for less glamorous but more affordable and accessible options.

Three-night stays at the same hotels in February, for instance, are remarkably cheaper:

• W Hotel Yas Island: Dh3,145 + Dh739 taxes and fees

• Hilton Yas Island: Dh5,267.09 including taxes and fees

• Marriott Al Forsan: Dh9,806 + Dh1,356 taxes and fees

• Aloft Abu Dhabi: Dh3,537.23 with estimated taxes and fees

Beyond hotels, parking on Yas Island during the Grand Prix has become a major challenge. Driving through Yas Island on Friday morning at around 10am, before the rush really started, traffic was smooth - but attempting to park at one of the hotels did not work.

To park at the W Hotel, one has to pay:

• Dh1,200 during the daytime on Friday, and Dh1,400 from 7pm to 2am

• Dh2,100 during the daytime on Saturday, and Dh2,500 from 7pm to 2am

• Dh3,000 during the daytime on Sunday, and Dh3,500 from 7pm to 2am

After driving around familiar Yas Island spots in vain to park without a car park pass, the most feasible solution was to park at Yas Mall's Fashion Avenue car park and walk a few steps toward the ITC shuttles, which provide free rides to main stops across the island.

Parking was also blocked for non–race-related venues on the island, such as Yas Bay.

“I tried to go to train at Warehouse Gym this morning, and access to the parking was blocked due to F1,” said Nor Qaddoumi, an Abu Dhabi resident. Instead, she opted for a neighbouring gym in Al Zeina.

The official advice from organisers for fans driving to the circuit was to use Yas Mall parking, where complimentary parking is offered with shuttle-bus transfers to the circuit.

According to the event's 2025 mobility plan by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), 82 public buses will shuttle attendees from Yas Mall (Tryano Gate) and Warner Bros. car parks to the circuit gates, hotels and entertainment zones. Additionally, about 3,000 taxis - including ride-hailing services - and a fleet of 15 autonomous vehicles will operate on designated routes across Yas Island.

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