Qatar's hoteliers were urged to look at sustainability while considering the new hotel classification system launched by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) last year, all agreeing that the new system now offers a holistic approach to star rating.
Designed with international best practices in mind, and adapted to local conditions, the new system is intended to provide a clearer and more consistent way of evaluating the level of service and amenities at a property.
INHOCO Group — International Hospitality Consulting Group senior vice president & senior partner Raki Phillips, who was moderating a panel on the topic at the Qatar Hospitality Summit, kicked off the discussion by asking: “A lot of re-classification is done with owners, brands and developers in mind, but a lot of it seems to be taking place with hotels that are operational. So from the green perspective, what can be done?”
Martin Bäuerle, hospitality specialist & chairman of the Green Hotel Interest Group Qatar, said it was important to be thinking about sustainability from the design stage, and admitted that it’s relatively difficult to implement changes once a property is operational. “You can’t change a lot of things which already exist, unless you invest a lot of money.”
However, he pointed out that with the new classification system, the focus on sustainability is a positive development for the hospitality industry. “Qatar is the first country that has sustainability linked to the classification system which is a great thing. Most of the criteria, I think, are easy to achieve. Many things are operational — where you can change your operations, or train staff. Not many criteria are actually related to high investments for hotels to change unless you want to change the whole piping system, which is very costly.”
The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa hotel manager Ammar Samad said that while pre-opening, the hotel looked at the new classification system and felt that it is a “holistic approach to consistency”.
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He explained: “If you take a look at what big hotels are doing, this is making sure that the five-star industry in Doha is on par with the international hotel industry, which is important if you want to create a destination.
“One of the slides in the first presentation said that we will one day have 63% leisure, and to get there you need to do a lot of things. This is the time to take a look at your asset. You need to make sure that you have a product that can compete when the business comes back.”
Saleh Bataineh, deputy GM of The St. Regis Doha, agreed and added: “The holistic approach is a very good place to start and we, as a brand, are appreciative of this classification, and we want to do it with the support of the QTA.”
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