New Doha firm to open two souq hotels by year-end

The 19-room Arumaila opened in Souq Waqif on May 15.

New Doha hotel brand, Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels (SWBH), is on track to open two hotels by the year-end, completing its luxury six-property development in one of Doha’s tourism and community hot spots.

The brand, owned Al Rayyan Hospitality established in 2011, has already opened four alcohol-free boutique hotels within six months in Doha’s lively souq area.

It is on track to launch Al Jasra in June, offering 24 studio rooms, mini-spa and hammam, international buffet restaurant, an authentic Moroccan eaterie and a domed lounge serving as a “souq within a souq”.

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This will be followed by the launch of 28-key Al Bidda in quarter four. A traditional deluxe hotel with two meeting rooms, Al Bidda includes a rooftop terrace, live entertainment and a bakery.

Overall, these six properties will add 12 restaurants to Souq Waqif, an area popular for its many eateries and lively atmosphere.

“A substantial investment has been made to rejuvenate and take care of the souq, and preserve its authenticity and the culture. As part of that vision it’s an ideal time to develop the five-star boutique concept within the walls of the souq,” director of sales and marketing Russell Loughland told Hotelier Middle East.

Loughland did not reveal the value of the investment. 

Al Mirqab was the first of the half dozen hotels to open in December 2011, with 37 rooms, a modern Arabic design, art indoor amphitheatre seating 900, an outdoor rooftop theatre to host 300 and a private swimming pool.

The 25-room Al Najada, constructed through the joining of three traditional Arabic homes, opened in March and offers a personal butler service, a rooftop terrace, fine-dining restaurant, café, a spa and fitness centre.

On May 15, SWBH opened Musheireb, which it described as the ultimate retreat with only 10 rooms and four suites, a family restaurant and a traditional Arabian design. 

On the same day, the “funky” 19-room Arumaila opened in Souq Waqif, including a rooftop tandoor grill featuring live cooking stations, a mini-spa and gym, business centre and coffee shop.

No two rooms are the same shape or size in any of the six properties, said Loughland.

“Rather than have ‘standard’ and ‘deluxe’ categories, which can be very boring, we’ve segmented the rooms as ‘coral’ and ‘pearl’ because that’s authentic based on the history of Qatar. We’ve gone into every room in every hotel and assessed whether we think it’s a coral or a pearl,” he added.

Combined, the hotels contribute a modest 147 rooms out of the 3819 Qatar Tourism Authority has predicted will open this year, but they have brought a new dimension to the market, according to Loughland.

“You can charge more for boutique because for the people it’s not about price, it’s about value and personalised service,” he explained.

So far, Loughland claimed the corporate market had proved strong for the hotels already open, as well as families at the weekends and GCC leisure travellers from Dubai and Saudi Arabia.