"Cheap" hotels in Dubai are VERY shabby. Best bet is for a 3 star. Sea shell inn hotel is where my family have stayed at many times and are very good value for money. However its not close to International City so thats the trade off. For up to the minute hotels and user reviews, i always use tripadvisor:
Reviews of holidays, hotels, resorts, holiday and travel packages - TripAdvisor this site has never let me down! check it out...