New Hilton brand Curio to get ME debut in Qatar

Curio, the new hotel brand recently launched by Hilton Worldwide, is to make its Middle East debut in Qatar in 2016.

The hotel 207-key hotel will be in the Mall of Qatar and Hilton is partnering with investors Al Jaryan Trading & Contracting on the project. An announcement on the name of the hotel is expected soon.

Among the rooms at the property will be 19 suites fashioned by some of the world’s leading designers. Amenities will include two upscale restaurants, a lobby lounge, two outdoor pools, a fitness centre featuring dedicated treatment rooms.

Among the meeting and event spaces will be two boardrooms, two meeting rooms and a multi-function banquet hall.

"As Qatar emerges as a global hospitality force, today’s landmark news will add tremendous value to our growing country-wide development portfolio which currently includes brands as diverse as the elegant luxury of Waldorf Astoria to the affordable, award winning hospitality of Hilton Garden Inn,” said Hilton Worldwide Middle East & Africa president Rudi Jagersbacher.

In line with the ethos of the Curio brand – the word means something of interest or something unique – the hotel will aim to capture the personality of the local landscape.

It will be located within Doha’s new Al Rayyan Gate district and will be surrounded by the Qatar National Convention Centre and Educational City.

The hotel will also be directly linked to the fashion court that is being developed at Mall of Qatar. Set to begin opening in late-2015, the mall itself will have over 400 shops, as well as restaurants and cafés and its own market selling gourmet foods.

Curio global head Dianna Vaughan Hilton said: “Today’s announcement is momentous for Hilton Worldwide as we launch our new brand into the vibrant, fast-paced Middle East hospitality market.

“Curio is inspired by a sense of local discovery and independence – qualities which will characterise the design and style of this hotel.”

Al Jaryan Trading & Contracting’s Hamad Khalifa Abdullah Al Attiya added: “We are proud to partner with Hilton Worldwide to debut this exciting new brand in the Middle East and to establish a presence for Curio – A Collection by Hilton in Qatar’s flourishing tourism market.

Our success is based on providing high standards of service, and I am confident our local expertise, combined with Hilton Worldwide’s widely recognised hospitality experience, will create a world-class hotel for Doha’s thriving community.”