Life in the Dubai blitz: British families stranded in UAE tell how they're forced to sleep on beds in hotel car parks and take shelter in nightclubs 02.03.2026

British families are stranded in Dubai amidst escalating Iranian missile attacks across the Middle East, forcing them to seek shelter in hotel car parks and even nightclubs. Tourists have shared videos of drones and debris impacting luxury accommodations over the weekend, leading hotels to escort guests to safer underground locations. Some hotels have resorted to setting up beds in car parks due to the number of guests feeling too exposed in their rooms. Surrey residents Stacey Gibson and Charles Wright described being woken by loud bangs and sleeping in a basement car park after a nearby hotel was struck. The crisis has led to the cancellation of over 1,500 flights globally, impacting hundreds of thousands of passengers, with the Foreign Office issuing new travel advice against non-essential travel to the UAE and other affected nations. Plans are reportedly underway for the evacuation of over 100,000 Britons from expat hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.














