Tipping in UAE
Tipping expectedService Breakdown
Notes by Service
Check for 10% service charge; if absent, 10% is appropriate.
AED 10–20 per night for housekeeping; AED 10–20 per bag.
Round up the meter; not strongly expected.
10% is appreciated.
10% at international hotel bars.
10% is polite.
AED 20–50 per person for desert safaris and guided tours.
AED 5–10 is appreciated.
About Tipping in UAE
Tipping is appreciated in the UAE and widely practiced in Dubai and Abu Dhabi's international hospitality sector. Most hotel restaurants add a 10% service charge to bills; a further tip is optional but welcomed for exceptional service. In taxis, rounding up the meter is a common courtesy.
Tip at restaurants without a service charge (10% is the norm), with taxis (rounding up), hotel porters and housekeeping, at spas, and for tour guides on desert safaris, museum tours, and city experiences. At the Dubai Mall's food outlets and casual chains, tipping is optional.
Check your restaurant bill for a service charge before adding anything. For desert safari guides who lead evening camel rides and dinner events, AED 20–50 per person is a reasonable tip. Hotel housekeeping: AED 10–20 per night left on the pillow. USD is also accepted at international hotels.
Like Qatar, the UAE's service workforce is largely composed of migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia, and tipping directly supplements wages that, while regulated, represent a fraction of Dubai's cost of living. The city's extraordinary ambition — from Burj Khalifa concierge staff to desert camp guides — involves genuinely skilled professionals, and tipping acknowledges both the quality of service and the personal effort behind it.