Viral video: Indian mom dries clothes on balcony of Atlantis, The Palm. Dubai hotel responds

An Indian woman drying clothes on the balcony of an ultra-luxurious Dubai hotel has invited plenty of “peak desi mom” comments, some criticism, and a response from the hotel itself.

Earlier this week, Pallavi Venkatesh shared an Instagram video of her mother hanging clothes to dry on the balcony of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. “Moms just momming at Palm Atlantis,” she wrote. As the elder Ms Venkatesh carefully hangs a pair of shorts to dry on the guard rail, the camera pans to show another balcony with clothes out to dry in the sun.

Take a look at the video below:

Since being shared six days ago, the video has racked up 11.1 million views and over 900 comments.

“Moms are such cuties,” wrote one Instagram user. “You can take mom out of India but to take India out of mom is just impossible,” another quipped.

Many, however, criticised the act as “bad manners.” In Dubai, hanging clothes to dry on balconies is outlawed by authorities. In 2021, the Dubai Municipality had asked residents not to hang their laundry on their balconies or windows to maintain the city’s aesthetic.

“It is illegal. You could get fined,” one person informed Venkatesh. “Doesn’t the hotel have laundry and drier facilities in-house?” another inquired. “Everyone in the UK does it. It’s a natural way to dry clothes. Stop hating y’all,” a third Instagram user commented.

Atlantis, The Palm – a five-star resort known for its luxurious amenities and high-quality service – settled the debate in the comments section. The hotel applauded the Indian woman for carrying out “mom duties” while reminding her that guests can use the retractable drying cord provided in every bathroom to dry their clothes.

“Mom duties,” the official hotel account commented with an applause emoji. “We hope you enjoyed your stay! (We include a retractable drying cord in every bathroom, so that you can dry your clothing over the bath)” the hotel explained.