A Bentley man celebrating a stag do in Dubai found himself caught up in the escalating Middle East conflict after his hotel was struck by what is believed to be shrapnel.

Managing director Chris Day, who lives in the village near Farnham, was staying with nine friends at the five-star Fairmont The Palm on Palm Jumeirah when debris hit the building at about 7.30pm on Saturday.

Chris Day while on his stag do in Dubai.
Chris Day while on his stag do in Dubai. (Chris Day)

The damage is believed to have been caused by fragments falling after an Iranian drone was intercepted by a missile defence system over Dubai, according to reports at the time.

The incident came amid intensifying hostilities across the Middle East, with missile and drone attacks exchanged between the US, Israel and Iran across the Persian Gulf. Thousands of Britons living in or visiting the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries have been affected by the disruption.

Damage to a taxi in Dubai after the alleged drone attack.
Damage to a taxi in Dubai after the reported drone attack. (Chris Day)

Mr Day, 55, has shared photographs with the Herald showing damage to the hotel.

The group were desert buggy racing when the interception took place.

“It’s surreal knowing the place you’re staying has been caught up in something like this,” he said. “We were out in the desert at the time, so we only realised later how serious it had been.”

Damage to the exterior of Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai.
Damage to the exterior of Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai. (Chris Day)

He said the reality of the conflict has been impossible to ignore.

“It’s both thrilling and unnerving,” he said. “You don’t always see the interceptions, but the noise when they happen is incredibly loud and quite shocking.”

Residents and visitors have reported repeated explosions linked to air defence activity in recent days as authorities respond to incoming threats.

Chris Day and his friends on the stag do while dune buggying in Dubai's deserts.
Chris Day and his friends on the stag do while dune buggying in Dubai's deserts. (Chris Day)

Despite the situation, Mr Day said the group remained in good spirits but were increasingly concerned about travel plans.

“The hotel staff have been brilliant and everyone’s trying to stay positive,” he said. “But we are starting to worry a bit about how we’ll get home if things escalate further.”

The Home Office said on Monday it was considering plans to help British nationals leave the region, with ministers exploring evacuation options as fighting continues and airspace disruption strands thousands of travellers.

Mr Day was due to fly back to the UK today, but his flight was cancelled after airspace across parts of the region was closed. He has now been rebooked on a flight scheduled for Wednesday and is hopeful he will be able to return home then.