Stranded in Dubai after flight canceled, paying about $670 a night

Kunal Trehan, a 42-year-old from Cheshire, England, arrived in Dubai on February 20 to expand his business and had planned to fly home on February 28 at 10:20 p.m. local time. While relaxing on the hotel's beach on the day of departure, he heard a faint, deep sound; an hour later people began messaging and he opened the Qatar Airways app to find that their flight had been canceled.

More explosions followed, with clouds of smoke and orange missile lights visible in the distance. Hotel staff told guests to close curtains and come inside, then knocked to instruct people to gather passports and valuables and move to the basement. Guests sat on the concrete floor or in chairs while staff handed out pillows and blankets and tried to calm everyone; after three hours he returned to the room because his sciatica flared, only to be woken by another explosion around 9 a.m.

The hotel continued to advise people to stay inside, and he and his partner requested a first-floor room so they could get outside quickly if needed.

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