Tareq Derbas Tareq Derbas

4 Tareq Derbas
General manager, St. Regis Doha

General manager Tareq Derbas has been preparing to launch Starwood’s luxury St.Regis brand in Qatar for the past 20 months, leading a robust pre-opening for this 336-room hotel.

Complete with 4000m² of meeting space, a Remede Spa, Olympic swimming pool, beachfront cabanas with private Jacuzzis and the first international outpost of New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Centre, everything about St. Regis Doha promises a high-class luxurious experience — and Derbas has been dedicated to recruiting a top team to deliver this.

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Back in January, he recruited more than 200 hospitality professionals in an effort to ensure service will hit the desired standard come opening this month. In total, the team will comprise 700 employees.

“We have brought a significant number of staff to the hotel early, in order to provide a comprehensive training programme before we open our doors to guests” said Derbas.

“Our plan is to make our opening season one of the highlights of the social calendar in Doha, and we are confident that we have assembled the right team to deliver this unique experience for people in Qatar and for luxury enthusiasts from around the world.”

One highlight is expected to be the St. Regis Butler service, available to every guest 24 hours a day. Complimentary services include unpacking and packing; two pressings of garments; and in-room fresh tea or coffee every morning.

On the topic of F&B, Derbas is also striving to ensure the hotel is recognised as a culinary hotspot, with restaurants including international brand Hakkasan, two outlets in partnership with a celebrity chef — the fine dining Gordon Ramsay and the casual alternative, Opal by Gordon Ramsay. Recreating the atmosphere of an English manor house, Gordon Ramsay will be headed by Michelin star chef Gilles Bosquet.

Throughout the pre-opening, Derbas, who previously worked for Burj Al Arab in Dubai, has promised to establish “the hotel as the finest address in Doha”, and this month, all eyes will be on him at Hotelier Middle East’s Qatar General Manager’s Debate, where Derbas is a keynote speaker.

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