Saudi Arabia Is Planning Three Otherworldly Hotels Run by Habitas

Hi, it’s Lisa, your Pursuits correspondent in Dubai. We’re heading into a bustling few months in the Gulf, with Dubai Watch Week (Nov. 16), Abu Dhabi’s Formula 1 race (Nov. 18) and COP 28 (Nov. 30) just around the corner.

While hotels and restaurants are filling up as the weather cools down, some community and family events are being canceled because of the Israel-Hamas war, which is vaguely referred to here in corporate messaging and on the airwaves as the “situation,” or “global events.” Online travel agency Skyscanner had planned on releasing a travel trends report on Oct. 24, but a company spokeswoman said the report was being delayed “due to the current situation.” Some Halloween events—yes, we trick-or-treat in Dubai—were toned down or canceled, but many still went on with full fanfare.