Katara closes in on London hotel deal

Qatar’s Katara Hospitality is close to claiming its first hotel in London in what would be a major coup for the investor, which already has luxury properties in cities including Paris and Singapore.

CEO Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla told sister-title Arabian Business the company had bid on a five-star hotel being operated by an international management company.

He hoped the deal would be settled within three weeks. “We have an opportunity we’ve initiated in London. We have to put our mark on London, we have to put our flags in London, that’s why we need to be in London,” Al Mulla said.

He declined to comment on which hotel Katara Hospitality was vying for but said it was due to open in September.

Katara Hospitality, which is privately owned, is developing the Lusail Marina Iconic Development in Doha as part of its plan to become one of the most recognisable hospitality brands in the world.

It hopes the “crossed sword” design of the five-star hotel will become the capital’s version of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

The company also owns Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Royal Savoy Lausanne, the Gallia Hotel Milan and The Peninsula Hotel Paris, among others.

It is due to open a resort in Switzerland next year, as well as complete a refurbishment of Tangier’s Tazi Palace and the Comoros Beach Resort.

Katara Hospitality chairman Sheikh Nawaf Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani has said the company plans to double its portfolio to 60 hotels and resorts worldwide by 2030.