We were paying attention, here in Abu Dhabi, when Sandy struck New York. Emiratis may not know a lot about the U.S. (but probably more than Americans know about the UAE) … but they know that New York is a big deal. They are more likely to go to Paris or London or Munich, in their free time, but at any given moment quite a few Emiratis are hanging around New York and possibly aiding the bottom line of the some of the high-end shops.

Thus, when Sandy hit, editors on the news side of the The National wondered if we could find a story in how Emiratis visiting NYC handled the big storm.

We found out that, as is often the case, the UAE government was there to help out its citizens … by putting them up in rooms at Park Avenue hotels, including the famed Waldorf-Astoria.

And, yes, that reinforced something of a stereotype.

Which would be modern Emiratis as pampered. Coddled. Soft.

A vigorous debate broke out at a news meeting here in the AUH about whether the UAE embassy in Washington, which arranged for its citizens to stay at the Waldorf-Astoria, and others, had done the country a disservice by reinforcing the image of spoiled Emiratis.

It was suggested that New York has plenty of mid-market (though not inexpensive) hotels, brands like Holiday Inn and Ramada, where the Emiratis could have been spared the horrors of no electricity without also raising the specter of “five star or bust”.

Or, it was suggested, room could have been found in several boutique-y, high-end hotels that are not globally synonymous with “money to burn.” Not like the Waldorf-Astoria.

The National story (linked above), quoted several Emiratis who survived severe inconvenience as Sandy hit Manhattan.

Said one: “I had walked up to Midtown to find a phone service, and within 10 minutes of contacting the embassy they had sent a car to pick me up and take me to the hotel. The driver was going all over – to Queens, to Soho – trying to pick everyone else up.”

Said another: “Once they realized that people here were going to be without power or mobile phone service, they knew they had to do something.” (Referring to the UAE embassy.)

And another said Park Avenue hotels were not an over-the-top gesture. “Some people would say it is frivolous, but it shows the UAE’s care for its citizens affected by this. They were willing to go the extra mile.”

All things being equal, I suppose it demonstrates that it is better to be born into a wealthy country. And perhaps one with 100 years of proven oil reserves.