I live in Dubai and spend a weekend at the new Westin in Dubai and its a good hotel ... nothing to write home about but a hotel you can recommend easily. and thats what i did i reccomended it to a friend visiting from the UK, they booked it direct with the hotel. Over our first dinner we were discussing the Westin and I discovered that they got the rate for almost GBP 90 less, simply because thay are UK resident!

i have decided to avoid the westins and all stawood hotels wherever i can. by the way its not just the westin. several of the other 5 star hotels do the same, thats the rationale that westin used to explain the higher rate!!!