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The Dubai short-term rentals we manage entered the autumn with a higher nightly rate and stronger demand. This is the second instalment of our monthly overview, this time for September 2026, and for the first time we compare it with the previous month: both exports from the booking system use the same settings, so the difference describes reality, not methodology.
We are talking about short-term stays priced per night (holiday homes), not annual leases. How the two models differ is covered in our comparison of short-term and long-term rentals. The August figures and an explanation of each indicator are in the first instalment of the overview.
Table of Contents
September 2026 in numbers
| Indicator | September 2026 | August 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio occupancy | 81.90% | 77.45% | plus 4.45 percentage points |
| Nights sold | 2,457 | 2,545 | minus 3.5% |
| Nights sold per day | 81.9 | 82.1 | practically unchanged |
| Average nightly rate | 258.01 AED | 208.51 AED | plus 23.7% |
| New bookings created | 253 | 183 | roughly plus 40% |
How did CzechIn do in September?
Better than in August, and above all on price. The average nightly rate rose by 23.7% to 258.01 AED, occupancy climbed to 81.90% and roughly 40% more new bookings were created than in August.
With occupancy, it pays to look beneath the surface. The number of nights sold per day was practically the same as in August, around 82. The higher percentage came about because the portfolio had fewer nights available in September: an average of 100 units a day against 106 in August. What matters for owners is something else: the same number of nights sold for more. The indicator hotels use to measure revenue per room (RevPAR, i.e. the average rate multiplied by occupancy) rose by roughly 31%.
The month also picked up speed as it went on. Daily payouts to owners in the last week of September were on average 23.6% higher than in the first, and the second half of the month beat the first by 15.3%. The start of September was still weaker; the end already carried the beginning of the season.
How did September answer the three questions from August?
In the August instalment we promised to watch three things. The answers:
- Does the nightly rate rise as the summer ends? Yes, by 23.7%. From 208.51 AED to 258.01 AED. As expected, the season showed in the price sooner than in the number of nights sold.
- Does the ratio of bookings to nights even out? Yes, towards shorter stays. There were roughly 40% more new bookings and the same number of nights sold per day. The average newly booked stay shortened from 9.9 to 9.0 nights, and there were 7 stays of 28 nights or more instead of 12. This is exactly what we expected from the autumn.
- Is the share of direct bookings growing? In nights, yes, it doubled from 6.9% to 13.8%. Among bookings newly created in September, however, direct bookings made up only 8.3%, less than in August. The doubling is therefore most likely carried by longer direct stays arranged earlier. Whether this becomes a trend, October will show.
Where the guests came from
| Booking channel | Share of nights, September | Share of nights, August | Share of arrivals, September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | 64.22% | 73.0% | 65.49% |
| Booking.com | 20.23% | 19.7% | 19.61% |
| Direct bookings | 13.84% | 6.9% | 12.94% |
| Expedia | 1.22% | 0% | 0.78% |
| Own booking website | 0.49% | 0.4% | 1.18% |
Airbnb remains the main channel, but its share of nights fell by almost nine percentage points. The space it freed up was taken by direct bookings and, for the first time, by Expedia, which brought 30 nights in September. Booking.com holds steady at roughly a fifth.
For owners this is good news for two reasons. A direct booking carries no platform commission, so the owner keeps a bigger share of it. And a portfolio that does not rely on a single platform copes better with a change in its algorithm or terms. That is exactly why we manage distribution actively.
How Jiří Chlebek sees September
The founder and director of CzechIn.ae comments on the September figures:
"In September we are seeing growth. Occupancy is holding high and the average nightly rate is rising. The start of the month was still weaker than we had imagined, and we did not quite reach last September's level. At the turn of September and October, though, the rise in prices is already clearly visible."
"We are raising prices gradually, not in jumps. We want to give owners back, step by step, what we lost over the past six months. You can feel in the city that more people are arriving, the roads are full again and guests are accepting higher prices."
How is Dubai's tourism doing?
It is recovering. According to the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai welcomed around 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026, the most since February, and since March their number has grown at a double-digit rate every month. Hotels had an occupancy of 66% in August, against only 36% in March. The city has not yet caught up with last year's level, however: August occupancy corresponded to 89% of last year's.
The picture matches what we see ourselves: a recovery after a weak spring that has not yet caught up with last year. Our portfolio held 77.45% in August and 81.90% in September. Hotel occupancy is calculated differently from apartments priced per night, though, so the comparison is only indicative. As of 6 October, DET had not yet published the September figures.
What is new in our offer and on the website
New project: Richmond Residences in Ras Al Khaimah
Since mid-September we have been offering Richmond Residences in the Mira Coral Bay community, a new project by developer Mira Developments right by the sea in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Units from a 40 m² studio to a 238 m² two-storey three-bedroom apartment are sold fully furnished in a design by the fashion brand John Richmond. According to the developer's current price list, prices start at 550,000 AED. Handover is planned for the second quarter of 2029; half of the price is paid during construction and the other half within three years of handover.
On the website
The September changes below concern the Czech version of our website:
- The apartment rentals page now shows where to stay in Dubai, how a stay works from booking to departure and what we offer owners. We also rewrote the property management and rental offers pages.
- Neighbourhood pages: we added Downtown Dubai and expanded Dubai Marina, Arjan, Studio City, Motor City and Dubai Islands, including an interactive map.
- New descriptions for ten apartments in our rental offers.
- Five articles: August in numbers, gross and net rental yield, the holiday home permit, Dubai with kids and the Arjan neighbourhood.
Portfolio as of 6 October
We have 99 active units in the booking system, 90 in Dubai and 9 in Ras Al Khaimah. You will find an overview in our rental offers.
What guests wrote about us in September
On Google, CzechIn.ae has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 287 reviews, and on Airbnb Superhost status and 4.79 out of 5 from 1,918 ratings (both as of 6 October 2026). From the September reviews:
- A Google review from mid-September praises the easy, smooth arrival and the helpfulness of the team on the ground.
- Airbnb ratings from the end of September, all five stars, highlight cleanliness, problems solved immediately and a comfortable arrival. One group of guests ended up extending their stay.
What to watch in the October instalment
- Whether the growth in the nightly rate holds. The season in Dubai opens in autumn and peaks in winter; according to the Department of Economy and Tourism, last year's strongest month was December.
- How the number of available nights develops. It fell in September, which is why occupancy grew faster than sales.
- Whether direct bookings hold their share among newly created bookings too, not just in nights.
The October instalment will be published on 4 November and will also include an overview of the Dubai property market for the third quarter.
Where the figures come from
From our reporting in the Hostaway system for 1 to 30 September 2026, with the same settings as in August: all units, all channels and nights assigned to the days of the stay. The September export did not include the number of newly created bookings, so we counted them from the list of bookings in the same system. Using the same method, August comes out at 180 bookings against 183 from the export; the difference is most likely due to later changes and cancellations. We only give the development of owner payouts in percentages. These are figures for the portfolio as a whole, not for a single unit. What management involves is covered in our article on property management fees in Dubai.
Do you own an apartment in Dubai? We will calculate what occupancy and nightly rate are realistically within reach for your unit and what the start of the season means for it. Start on the property management page, or see what one of our apartments looks like, for example an apartment with a view of Burj Khalifa in Downtown.
Still choosing a property? Browse our selection of projects in Dubai, and we will discuss which type of unit pays off best in short-term rental.
Frequently asked questions
What was short-term rental occupancy in Dubai in September 2026?
The portfolio managed by CzechIn.ae had an occupancy of 81.90% in September 2026, with 2,457 nights sold, 4.45 percentage points more than in August. The number of nights sold per day, however, was the same as in August, around 82. Occupancy rose mainly because fewer nights were available.
How much did a night in a short-term rental in Dubai cost in September 2026?
The average rate in the managed portfolio was 258.01 AED, 23.7% more than in August. It is not revenue divided by the number of nights, which also includes cleaning and would come out higher. It is an average across studios and larger apartments and across all areas, so it says nothing about a specific apartment.
Why can occupancy rise even if no more nights are sold?
Occupancy is the ratio of nights sold to nights available. When the number of available nights in the portfolio falls, for example because owners use some apartments themselves or they are temporarily off the market, the percentage rises even with the same sales. That is why we always track the number of nights and the nightly rate alongside occupancy.
How many bookings were made in September and how long were the stays?
In September, 253 new bookings were created, roughly 40% more than in August. The average newly booked stay was 9.0 nights against 9.9 in August, and there were fewer stays of 28 nights or more. With the autumn, shorter stays are increasing, which corresponds to the start of the tourist season.
How is tourism in Dubai developing in 2026?
According to the Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai welcomed around 869,000 international visitors in August 2026, the most since February. Hotels had an occupancy of 66% against 36% in March, which corresponds to 89% of last August's level. The city is therefore recovering but has not yet caught up with last year's figures.
When will the next instalment of the overview be published?
The next instalment, for October 2026, will be published on Wednesday 4 November. The overview always comes out on the first Wednesday of the month, for the previous month and with the same methodology, so that the figures can be compared. The November instalment will also include an overview of the Dubai property market for the third quarter of 2026.
