2022 is fast approaching, a key year for Qatar as it will culminate in a major event for the country's brand image and its tourism sector: the hosting of the Football World Cup in November and December. The country is preparing for this with a a host of large-scale projects - new hotels and restaurants, theme parks and, of course, brand new football stadiums - all of which will open in a cascade between now and the start of the tournament.
In this context, more than a hundred hotels are currently under construction and will join the 80 five- and four-star establishments already in existence. Among other prestigious brands, Fairmont, Raffles, Rosewood and St. Regis will join the big names in luxury hotels already present in Qatar. These include InterContinental and Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental and Kempinski, Park Hyatt and Banyan Tree, in a recently opened complex designed by interior architect Jacques Garcia.
This hotel expansion, aimed in the short term at accommodating the teams and their supporters, will strengthen the the upmarket dimension of the destination offering tourists and business travellers first-class accommodation. One of the flagship projects is the Katara Towers, which could become the Qatari counterpart to Dubai's Burj Al Arab, with their shapes symbolising the country's emblem.
Designed like traditional crossed scimitars, the top of each "blade" houses a luxury hotel, a Raffles on one side and a Fairmont on the other. An emblematic venue that will be the focal point of Lusail, a rapidly developing city whose stadium will host the World Cup final. " These two projects are unique in their own wayexplains Christian Hirt, General Manager of the two future hotels. Both hotels will feature particularly advanced technologies to enhance the customer experience, as well as sophisticated and flexible meeting rooms. "Travellers will also have access to an exclusive Fairmont Gold lounge with a dedicated swimming pool.
While the two hotels are due to open in the fourth quarter, another mega project is due to be delivered shortly in Lusail, a vast complex inspired by Parisian chic called Place Vendome. Covering more than a million square metres, the complex includes a shopping centre with nearly 600 shops, entertainment areas and two luxury hotels from the Marriott group, the Palais Vendôme, a member of the Luxury Collection, and Le Royal Méridien Doha, which is due to open in March 2022 and will also feature Royal Méridien Residences.
In the marina district of Lusail, the twin Aljaber towers will, when completed, house a 22-storey luxury hotel crowned by a rooftop with swimming pool and restaurant overlooking the Arabian Gulf. And it is also close to the city, some fifteen kilometres from Doha, that a new development will be built. the country's first "leisure islandQetaifan Island North. Set to rival Dubai's Palm Jumeirah and Abu Dhabi's Yas Island, this vast resort will include a water park, a beach club, residential areas and, initially, a 345-room luxury hotel, the manager of which is not yet known. The resort is part of Qatar National Vision 2030, with tourism set to play a major role in the country's future, following the example of its neighbour Dubai.
" In 2019, we saw over two million visitors to Qatar and we hope to see similar growing trends." said Berthold Trenkel, Director of Operations at Qatar Tourism. Especially since, like most destinations in the Middle East, the country has come through the current crisis relatively well. " Qatar fared very well during the pandemic, thanks to a very dynamic local holiday market which helped to support hotels.explains Christian Hirt, General Manager of the future Raffles and Fairmont. The recovery has been very strong, particularly in recent months, as the country reached high levels of vaccination and began to relax Covid restrictions. "
Qatar reaffirms its top-of-the-range tourism positioning
With a new cruise ship terminal due to open in autumn in the centre of Doha, six new beaches and cycle lanes nearing completion as part of the West Bay North Beach project, Qatar will be offering a range of new attractions later this year. a number of new tourist attractions to boost visitor numbers. These will be in addition to the recently opened theme parks, including Desert Falls Water & Adventure Park at the Hilton Salwa Beach Resort, and Quest, featuring the world's tallest indoor rollercoaster.
But alongside this leisure offering, other developments are aimed more directly at business travellers, with a Pullman expected in the first quarter in the business district of West Bay or the opening at the end of 2022 of the St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island, located within The Pearl-Qatar, an archipelago of artificial islands built off the coast of Doha.
The heart of the Qatari capital will soon see the opening of an ME hotel, part of the luxury and lifestyle brand of the Spanish Melia group, with 235 rooms andMICE infrastructures and the development of a design complex by the Dream Hotel group with 266 rooms and 35 flats, eight restaurants and nightlife venues. As part of this expansion of the hotel offering in the Qatari capital, the Rosewood luxury brand is set to take up residence in the two towers with facades inspired by the coral reef. The towers will house 185 luxury rooms, 173 residential flats and 300 residences for sale, as well as event and meeting facilities, including a 1,500 m2 ballroom. And this is undoubtedly just the beginning of many developments to come.
