Virgin Holidays has opened its first arrivals lounge for UK travellers to Dubai.
The v-hub is located in the Aquaventure waterpark at Atlantis The Palm – a hotel that attracts tens of thousands of British holidaymakers each year.
Currently, many holidaymakers are not able to make the most of their first day in Dubai due to the majority of UK flights landing early in the morning and hotel rooms not being available to check-in until late afternoon.
Virgin Holidays plans to introduce the concept in other destinations if it is popular.
The new lounge has features designed to help make the arrivals process smoother, ensuring that travellers enjoy every minute of their holiday, according to the operator.
Upon arrival at Atlantis The Palm guests will be welcomed and checked in at reception before being transferred by buggy to the Aquaventure waterpark.
They will then be notified when their luggage has been delivered to their newly prepared room.
The v-hub includes a lounge offering coffee, magazines and games consoles; showers; lockers to store hand-luggage or valuables; reps who can book excursions and provide an orientation of the hotel; and access to Aquaventure at Atlantis.
The operator’s head of Caribbean and worldwide product Nicki Goldsmith said: “We’ve all experienced the frustration you feel after a long flight, when you arrive at your hotel and your room isn’t ready.
“Travellers want to make the most of every moment they’re away including the all-important first day.
“The v-hub will help make the time spent waiting for your room as enjoyable as possible with holidaymakers encouraged to slap on their swim-gear and head straight out to Aquaventure at Atlantis.”
Timothy Kelly, general manager and operations senior vice president at Atlantis, The Palm, added: “We’re always looking at ways to improve the customer journey, and leapt at the chance to pioneer this ground-breaking proposal.
“We welcome thousands and thousands of Virgin Holidays guests each year and are pleased to offer this new facility to make their stay with us even more enjoyable.”