Dubai Firm Offers Free Stays To Stranded Travellers Amid Flight Cancellations

2026-03-02 01:43:35

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

As US-Israel-Iran conflict disrupted flights, one Dubai holiday home rental company - Arabnb homes - opened its vacant apartments free of charge to stranded travellers

[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]

As UAE residents and tourists worry about flight cancellations amidst ongoing regional tensions, one local business stepped in with an unexpected offer of help. Vacation home rental company Arabnb homes took to social media on Saturday night and posted that if anyone was stranded in Dubai, they would open up some of their apartments for the night, completely free of charge.

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“We know tonight is a difficult and uncertain night for many of you. With the current situation unfolding and airspace closures in effect, a lot of people are left stranded with nowhere to go. You don't have to figure this out alone. Reach out to us and we'll do our best to get you a safe, warm place to stay tonight,” the company wrote. Within hours, the social media post went viral, reaching over 300,000 people.

“The response has been overwhelming and honestly, not in the way we expected,” said Hreshan, one of the co-founders of the company.“We had around 10-15 families reach out directly asking for help with accommodation. But most of the messages were people simply showing support, thanking us, or sharing the post to help it reach others.”

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On Saturday, hundreds of flights were cancelled after regional tensions led to airspace closures impacting thousands of passengers. UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced that the country will cover all accommodation and sustenance costs for affected and stranded passengers.

Meaningful impact

Within five hours of the post going live, all of the company's vacant homes were fully booked by stranded families. In a post on social media, the firm applauded Dubai for“showing up” and supporting them. According to Pranay, another co-founder of Arabnb, their initiative sparked a ripple effect.

“We're part of a community of around 250 holiday home hosts in Dubai, and after seeing our initiative, many of them were inspired to do the same, opening up their own vacant units to help stranded travelers,” he said.

“As a single company, we were able to help about six or seven families directly, with room for a few more. But when the wider community started joining in, the potential impact grew to hundreds of people. That's what I'm most proud of. Individually, any one of us can only make a small difference. It's when the industry comes together that we can truly make a meaningful impact.”

Hreshan added that the idea of the initiative took shape when a family friend reached out because her daughter was stranded in Abu Dhabi.“I offered to let her stay in one of our vacant apartments in Dubai, but another family member closer to her took her in,” he said.

“But that moment made me think - there are so many people in the same situation who don't have a family to call. So, I looked at our calendar, saw we had a few vacant apartments, and instead of trying to fill them commercially, we decided to open them up for free to anyone who needed a safe place for the night.”

He added that the company's staff is working overtime to accommodate guests and answer queries.“It was a lot but honestly, much of it was providing emotional support rather than logistics,” he said.“People were anxious and just needed to hear that someone was looking out for them. Our team stepped up and handled it with a lot of heart.”