Jun 6, 2015, 7:30 am
W Doha Qatar [Master Thread]
Mar 5, 2009, 6:53 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,525
W Doha Qatar [Master Thread]
This hotel is supposed to open imminently (although as of a couple of days ago, it was still not possible to book a room on-line).
I got a sneak preview last night, and it is really spectacular. Yes, it does have that "hip" look, complete with pulsating music and seemingly indifferent staff (even on my private tour), all of which makes it totally different from anything else in Doha. The lobby is a grandiose large room with long dark blue chandeliers, a circular staircase up to the mezzanine, and a variety of seating areas. It is accented with the usual W color schemes of lots of black and bold colors.
The rooms are also pretty, with floor-to-ceiling windows, technological gadgets, modern furnishings, and gorgeous bathrooms. I would rate the size of the rooms small-to-average for Doha. In addition to the rooms, the property features several floors of apartments, designed similarly to the rooms (in small one-, large one-, and two-bedroom layouts) and with all of the services of the hotel. There's a separate entrance to the apartment, and valet parking, a 24-hour concierge, daily servicing akin to a hotel room, phone/internet/TV, and many other amenities are included for the healthy monthly price.
I visited the "ewow" suite, which was like nothing else that I have ever seen before. The living room is styled like a night club, with curved sofas arranged as niches with thick strings hanging from the ceiling to form sort of like a curtain around the niches. It does not make for a large, open, airy space; but rather a cozier space that feels larger than it is because of the curved walls and hallways. The living room also has a billiard table, and a long but almost flat, brightly lit fish tank hanging about two feet down vertically from the ceiling near the dining area (which is adjacent to a full kitchen, which has a separate entrance for the chef, so he does not have to traipse through your suite I suppose). Most of the suite has dark, plush carpet, and some areas have dark hard wood floors.
The long hallway that leads to the bedroom features about seven more fish tanks interspersed with dark wood panels, with probably a 25-foot wide floor-to-(high-)ceiling window with a desk in front of it with a great view of the West Bay corniche. The bathroom has a huge rain shower and tub between two sinks/vanity areas. Etc., etc. Some of the furnishings (like the nearly life-sized lamp/sculpture of a horse in the bedroom) will not be to everyone's taste, but it was still very pretty. The furnishings seemed, at a quick glance, to be of high quality (which is not always the case in town).
The hotel features the Crystal Lounge, a bar/night club that clearly will set the new bar for Doha (although that's not saying much). It is a huge space, with many separate rooms, each with plush furnishings. One of the bars is to be a "Cristal champagne bar." There's also a beautiful sheesha lounge on the second floor with another bar area and a number of private booths with sofas and curtains, Arabian style, that leads outside to the black pool. The hotel also features a caviar restaurant (not open yet) and a brasserie-type restaurant by John Georges Vongeritchen, which is a striking space -- although the menu didn't look too interesting.
If you're in Doha, it's definitely worth checking out. It is certainly what you'd expect from the W brand, for better or worse. Although this style is generally not my cup of tea, they certainly delivered a bold and striking new venue that should be a welcome addition to Doha.
I got a sneak preview last night, and it is really spectacular. Yes, it does have that "hip" look, complete with pulsating music and seemingly indifferent staff (even on my private tour), all of which makes it totally different from anything else in Doha. The lobby is a grandiose large room with long dark blue chandeliers, a circular staircase up to the mezzanine, and a variety of seating areas. It is accented with the usual W color schemes of lots of black and bold colors.
The rooms are also pretty, with floor-to-ceiling windows, technological gadgets, modern furnishings, and gorgeous bathrooms. I would rate the size of the rooms small-to-average for Doha. In addition to the rooms, the property features several floors of apartments, designed similarly to the rooms (in small one-, large one-, and two-bedroom layouts) and with all of the services of the hotel. There's a separate entrance to the apartment, and valet parking, a 24-hour concierge, daily servicing akin to a hotel room, phone/internet/TV, and many other amenities are included for the healthy monthly price.
I visited the "ewow" suite, which was like nothing else that I have ever seen before. The living room is styled like a night club, with curved sofas arranged as niches with thick strings hanging from the ceiling to form sort of like a curtain around the niches. It does not make for a large, open, airy space; but rather a cozier space that feels larger than it is because of the curved walls and hallways. The living room also has a billiard table, and a long but almost flat, brightly lit fish tank hanging about two feet down vertically from the ceiling near the dining area (which is adjacent to a full kitchen, which has a separate entrance for the chef, so he does not have to traipse through your suite I suppose). Most of the suite has dark, plush carpet, and some areas have dark hard wood floors.
The long hallway that leads to the bedroom features about seven more fish tanks interspersed with dark wood panels, with probably a 25-foot wide floor-to-(high-)ceiling window with a desk in front of it with a great view of the West Bay corniche. The bathroom has a huge rain shower and tub between two sinks/vanity areas. Etc., etc. Some of the furnishings (like the nearly life-sized lamp/sculpture of a horse in the bedroom) will not be to everyone's taste, but it was still very pretty. The furnishings seemed, at a quick glance, to be of high quality (which is not always the case in town).
The hotel features the Crystal Lounge, a bar/night club that clearly will set the new bar for Doha (although that's not saying much). It is a huge space, with many separate rooms, each with plush furnishings. One of the bars is to be a "Cristal champagne bar." There's also a beautiful sheesha lounge on the second floor with another bar area and a number of private booths with sofas and curtains, Arabian style, that leads outside to the black pool. The hotel also features a caviar restaurant (not open yet) and a brasserie-type restaurant by John Georges Vongeritchen, which is a striking space -- although the menu didn't look too interesting.
If you're in Doha, it's definitely worth checking out. It is certainly what you'd expect from the W brand, for better or worse. Although this style is generally not my cup of tea, they certainly delivered a bold and striking new venue that should be a welcome addition to Doha.
May 14, 2009, 9:55 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Plat, 1 MM; SPG LT Plat (RIP); Marriott LT Titanium; Fairmont Plat (RIP), DL Kryptonium Medallion
Posts: 1,791
Just a heads-up that the W Doha has C+P availability on nights where it is not shown on the website -- or least it did on the the night in mid-July that I inquired about, a few weeks ago.
At the time, rooms were going, with tax, for over $500, making $90+tax+4,800 points one of the better redemptions I've ever had. Rooms are now in the $300s, still a good deal.
Now if the Cat 5 Sheraton Bahrain would only do the same...
At the time, rooms were going, with tax, for over $500, making $90+tax+4,800 points one of the better redemptions I've ever had. Rooms are now in the $300s, still a good deal.
Now if the Cat 5 Sheraton Bahrain would only do the same...
Sep 7, 2009, 10:32 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,525
Trip report with a few pictures
I just finished my fourth stay here, for a total of about a dozen nights. Here are some observations:
-- Guest rooms. As I commented before, they are very attractive, although small compared to other five-star hotels in Doha. The carpet, furniture, and fixtures are of a higher quality than anything else in the city. The beds are quite comfortable, typical for W. The best part of the rooms are the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover most sides of the room, although the windows don't open. The desk and bathroom accessories are all made of leather, and all of the chairs and sofas are typically modern and comfortable.
Here are a few pictures of the W Suite (to which I was upgraded on two stays) and the Fabulous Room (to which I was upgraded on the other two stays):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896182367
(Bedroom in suite)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896173613
(Living room in suite)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896944934
(Guest room, non-suite)
You can see that the rooms feature circular spaces, with pseudo-curtains (strands of string) that fully "enclose" the spaces.
The Fabulous Rooms are at the corner of the building, so are sort of triangular- (or perhaps trapezoidal-) shaped. Behind the wall with the TV monitor is a little nook with a daybed and coffee table in front of the windows. Sort of a waste of a space, perhaps, or a nice little addition, depending on how you look at it.
The room has all sorts of gadgets, like a fancy alarm clock, VoIP phone on the desk and cordless phone on the nightstand, iPod docking station, and Bose surround sound (in the suites). The suite has a few other whimsical items, like an old manual typewriter and a chess set. I wasn't interested in most of these, except for the Nespresso machine with several different pods of coffee to choose from. ^ The room has a minibar, with alcohol, and food items, all at fairly decent prices considering the source. (By the way, the minibar does not include the racier items that some Ws in more liberal locales are known for.)
I had one major problem with the room, which was the entertainment system. It's actually a PC and monitor -- the software was branded Neos -- but worked very poorly. The DVD player (which is part of the PC) was sluggish and unresponsive to the remote buttons. Every time I tried to watch a DVD, the system froze, skipped, or otherwise misbehaved. Often the sound would play without the picture or vice-versa. I often tried to re-boot (which took about five minutes) with success for only a few minutes each time. The television channels were not much better. There is no way to surf all of the channels at once; only to navigate through menus and sub-menus on the screen, although the channel selection is pretty narrow. The system also offers pay-per-view movies, which is not common in the Middle East (I can think of only one other hotel in Doha that offers them), but none of the fewer than 20 titles on offer were of any interest to me.
I had this issue with all three of the units that I attempted to use over my several stays. A couple of times they sent the engineer up, but he was unable to do anything. I told them that it was obvious that the software was just junky, but they didn't seem to understand. They offered to swap the system out; I told them, please don't bother until I leave tomorrow morning, and I am not sure if they ever did. They certainly didn't fix the problem.
-- Bathrooms. The bathrooms are very attractive, with huge rain showers, large bathtubs, and the usual Bliss toiletries (large bottles in the suites), replenished each day. Here are a couple of pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896956900
(Suite bathroom)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896966168
(Suite bathroom)
However, where the bathrooms excel in form, they sometimes fall short in function. The elegant parabolic sink in the bathroom in my suite was too flat -- and the end of the faucet too high and close to the edge of the sink -- to prevent a tidal wave of water from ending up all over the counter whenever I used it. The shower also has many nozzles -- six horizontal jets, in addition to the vertical rain shower and hose apparatus, in the one in the suite -- but the pressure was uneven and temperature not very responsive to the controls. There is also no soap dish or tray of any kind in the shower, so that I had to place all of my toiletries on the floor while using it. Not a huge deal, of course, but a strange design oversight.
-- Food and beverage. The hotel has three restaurants, Market by Jean Georges, Spice Market [also by Jean Georges], and La Maison du Caviar.
I was excited to go to La Maison du Caviar, as there are few, if any, French brasserie-type places in Doha. The food and service are not great, unfortunately, but prices are moderate for Doha, so overall it's a decent option. Last visit, I had the veal cordon bleu (with "beef ham"), served with some roasted potatoes and browrn gravy. It was fairly solid, but the goat-cheese salad I also ordered was really underwhelming. The restaurant also features caviar, of course, with all major varieties (including beluga), but the prices are quite high, even in context. Not surprising, I guess, because it might be the only place in Doha that carries cavier.
The Market, by contrast, is one of the best restaurants in Doha. It has a relatively small menu, but everything that I have had has been tasty. Breakfast in the morning also does not feature as wide of a selection as most of the other five-star hotels in town, but more than makes up for it in quality. It features excellent fruit and berries, a few typical cold and hot mezze, a variety of cold cuts and cheeses, elegantly displayed yogurts and parfaits, foie gras, and choice of basic hot entrees (e.g., eggs, pancakes). Breakfast was complimentary for me (it was included in my corporate rate, although I am not sure if it's complimentary for Platinum members), which includes coffee and fresh juice, but a 1L bottle of water set me back about $10.
I was disappointed by the Spice Market. It is sort of a Vietnamese-based menu, but I found the menu selections limited, and wasn't thrilled with what I ordered. Maybe they're trying a bit too hard here, which sophisticated-sounding dishes that don't really deliver.
I also attended the iftar buffet at Spice Market as well as the suhour "Ramadan tent" set up in the ballroom. Both were disappointing; at suhour, available from 10:00pm-3:00am, they have a slightly smaller version of the same buffet as iftar, as well as small cooking stations for India, France, Italy, China, Japan, and Qatar, if I remember correctly. This was not too memorable -- think of a basic pasta station for "Italy" -- although they had Peking duck with pancakes at the "China" station. ^
-- Service. I wouldn't say that typical W aloofness characterizes the service -- in fact, the staff are pretty friendly and engaging. The front desk service is efficient, while the bell and valet parking seem to take an inordinate amount of time, even when it's apparently not busy. I sent my shoes down for a shine and asked that they be returned at a certain time the next day; they weren't, and I had to call down and retrieve them.
On the plus side, twice when I called down and asked for the bellman to help me with my luggage, when I went downstairs they had already printed my bill to expedite check-out. A relatively minor accommodation, of course, but this is very rare in my experience. I have called the hotel reservations office several times, and always had good experiences (this is not always the case in Doha, given limited English capabilities of many of the front-line staff at hotels), although the front-desk attendant was not able to fully help me when I tried to make a reservation there in person.
I have no experience with "Whatever Whenever."
They once sent me an SMS with an offer for a promotional menu at La Maison du Caviar, but, when I went there, no one at the restaurant nor the front desk knew anything about it. Typical.
-- Amenities. The hotel also features Wahm, an outdoor bar and shisha cafe that is quite nice. It has a handful of Arabic-style cabana-type facilities outside, with cushioned seating and privacy curtains. The Bliss Spa, the first in the region, is also gorgeous, although I did not avail of any of the services. The pool is smallish, outdoors and with a black bottom and music playing under the water. The Crystal Lounge is without a doubt the most attractive night club in Doha. I went once a couple of months ago, but haven't been lately (it's closed during Ramadan, which lasts for about two more weeks).
There is a small ladies' boutique in the lobby, as well as a branch of iSpot, the Apple [computer] dealer in Qatar. There is no place to buy a magazine or batteries, however. The lobby also features a number of semi-private spaces with comfortable sofas, ample reading material strewn about, and wait service for tea, juice, etc. They also have a little table set up each evening with snacks and drinks (dates, iced tea, etc.). I am not sure if this is just for Ramadan or not, but it makes for an inviting atmosphere when one returns at night.
Here is a picture of the lobby:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896938820
In summary, the hotel stands out in Doha, and is a very comfortable place to stay. I will be back.
-- Guest rooms. As I commented before, they are very attractive, although small compared to other five-star hotels in Doha. The carpet, furniture, and fixtures are of a higher quality than anything else in the city. The beds are quite comfortable, typical for W. The best part of the rooms are the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover most sides of the room, although the windows don't open. The desk and bathroom accessories are all made of leather, and all of the chairs and sofas are typically modern and comfortable.
Here are a few pictures of the W Suite (to which I was upgraded on two stays) and the Fabulous Room (to which I was upgraded on the other two stays):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896182367
(Bedroom in suite)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896173613
(Living room in suite)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896944934
(Guest room, non-suite)
You can see that the rooms feature circular spaces, with pseudo-curtains (strands of string) that fully "enclose" the spaces.
The Fabulous Rooms are at the corner of the building, so are sort of triangular- (or perhaps trapezoidal-) shaped. Behind the wall with the TV monitor is a little nook with a daybed and coffee table in front of the windows. Sort of a waste of a space, perhaps, or a nice little addition, depending on how you look at it.
The room has all sorts of gadgets, like a fancy alarm clock, VoIP phone on the desk and cordless phone on the nightstand, iPod docking station, and Bose surround sound (in the suites). The suite has a few other whimsical items, like an old manual typewriter and a chess set. I wasn't interested in most of these, except for the Nespresso machine with several different pods of coffee to choose from. ^ The room has a minibar, with alcohol, and food items, all at fairly decent prices considering the source. (By the way, the minibar does not include the racier items that some Ws in more liberal locales are known for.)
I had one major problem with the room, which was the entertainment system. It's actually a PC and monitor -- the software was branded Neos -- but worked very poorly. The DVD player (which is part of the PC) was sluggish and unresponsive to the remote buttons. Every time I tried to watch a DVD, the system froze, skipped, or otherwise misbehaved. Often the sound would play without the picture or vice-versa. I often tried to re-boot (which took about five minutes) with success for only a few minutes each time. The television channels were not much better. There is no way to surf all of the channels at once; only to navigate through menus and sub-menus on the screen, although the channel selection is pretty narrow. The system also offers pay-per-view movies, which is not common in the Middle East (I can think of only one other hotel in Doha that offers them), but none of the fewer than 20 titles on offer were of any interest to me.
I had this issue with all three of the units that I attempted to use over my several stays. A couple of times they sent the engineer up, but he was unable to do anything. I told them that it was obvious that the software was just junky, but they didn't seem to understand. They offered to swap the system out; I told them, please don't bother until I leave tomorrow morning, and I am not sure if they ever did. They certainly didn't fix the problem.
-- Bathrooms. The bathrooms are very attractive, with huge rain showers, large bathtubs, and the usual Bliss toiletries (large bottles in the suites), replenished each day. Here are a couple of pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896956900
(Suite bathroom)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896966168
(Suite bathroom)
However, where the bathrooms excel in form, they sometimes fall short in function. The elegant parabolic sink in the bathroom in my suite was too flat -- and the end of the faucet too high and close to the edge of the sink -- to prevent a tidal wave of water from ending up all over the counter whenever I used it. The shower also has many nozzles -- six horizontal jets, in addition to the vertical rain shower and hose apparatus, in the one in the suite -- but the pressure was uneven and temperature not very responsive to the controls. There is also no soap dish or tray of any kind in the shower, so that I had to place all of my toiletries on the floor while using it. Not a huge deal, of course, but a strange design oversight.
-- Food and beverage. The hotel has three restaurants, Market by Jean Georges, Spice Market [also by Jean Georges], and La Maison du Caviar.
I was excited to go to La Maison du Caviar, as there are few, if any, French brasserie-type places in Doha. The food and service are not great, unfortunately, but prices are moderate for Doha, so overall it's a decent option. Last visit, I had the veal cordon bleu (with "beef ham"), served with some roasted potatoes and browrn gravy. It was fairly solid, but the goat-cheese salad I also ordered was really underwhelming. The restaurant also features caviar, of course, with all major varieties (including beluga), but the prices are quite high, even in context. Not surprising, I guess, because it might be the only place in Doha that carries cavier.
The Market, by contrast, is one of the best restaurants in Doha. It has a relatively small menu, but everything that I have had has been tasty. Breakfast in the morning also does not feature as wide of a selection as most of the other five-star hotels in town, but more than makes up for it in quality. It features excellent fruit and berries, a few typical cold and hot mezze, a variety of cold cuts and cheeses, elegantly displayed yogurts and parfaits, foie gras, and choice of basic hot entrees (e.g., eggs, pancakes). Breakfast was complimentary for me (it was included in my corporate rate, although I am not sure if it's complimentary for Platinum members), which includes coffee and fresh juice, but a 1L bottle of water set me back about $10.
I was disappointed by the Spice Market. It is sort of a Vietnamese-based menu, but I found the menu selections limited, and wasn't thrilled with what I ordered. Maybe they're trying a bit too hard here, which sophisticated-sounding dishes that don't really deliver.
I also attended the iftar buffet at Spice Market as well as the suhour "Ramadan tent" set up in the ballroom. Both were disappointing; at suhour, available from 10:00pm-3:00am, they have a slightly smaller version of the same buffet as iftar, as well as small cooking stations for India, France, Italy, China, Japan, and Qatar, if I remember correctly. This was not too memorable -- think of a basic pasta station for "Italy" -- although they had Peking duck with pancakes at the "China" station. ^
-- Service. I wouldn't say that typical W aloofness characterizes the service -- in fact, the staff are pretty friendly and engaging. The front desk service is efficient, while the bell and valet parking seem to take an inordinate amount of time, even when it's apparently not busy. I sent my shoes down for a shine and asked that they be returned at a certain time the next day; they weren't, and I had to call down and retrieve them.
On the plus side, twice when I called down and asked for the bellman to help me with my luggage, when I went downstairs they had already printed my bill to expedite check-out. A relatively minor accommodation, of course, but this is very rare in my experience. I have called the hotel reservations office several times, and always had good experiences (this is not always the case in Doha, given limited English capabilities of many of the front-line staff at hotels), although the front-desk attendant was not able to fully help me when I tried to make a reservation there in person.
I have no experience with "Whatever Whenever."
They once sent me an SMS with an offer for a promotional menu at La Maison du Caviar, but, when I went there, no one at the restaurant nor the front desk knew anything about it. Typical.
-- Amenities. The hotel also features Wahm, an outdoor bar and shisha cafe that is quite nice. It has a handful of Arabic-style cabana-type facilities outside, with cushioned seating and privacy curtains. The Bliss Spa, the first in the region, is also gorgeous, although I did not avail of any of the services. The pool is smallish, outdoors and with a black bottom and music playing under the water. The Crystal Lounge is without a doubt the most attractive night club in Doha. I went once a couple of months ago, but haven't been lately (it's closed during Ramadan, which lasts for about two more weeks).
There is a small ladies' boutique in the lobby, as well as a branch of iSpot, the Apple [computer] dealer in Qatar. There is no place to buy a magazine or batteries, however. The lobby also features a number of semi-private spaces with comfortable sofas, ample reading material strewn about, and wait service for tea, juice, etc. They also have a little table set up each evening with snacks and drinks (dates, iced tea, etc.). I am not sure if this is just for Ramadan or not, but it makes for an inviting atmosphere when one returns at night.
Here is a picture of the lobby:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42248653@N04/3896938820
In summary, the hotel stands out in Doha, and is a very comfortable place to stay. I will be back.
Last edited by mecabq; Sep 7, 2009 at 10:44 am Reason: Added URLs for pictures because the images don't display here for some reason
Jan 4, 2010, 1:03 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: South Germany
Programs: Miles&More Senator , EX-SPG Platinum now Bonvoy LTP, IC Platinum , Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 300
Thanks for this great report and the photos. Appreciate it very much as I'm right now thinking to stop over here for a night or two. It might be worth to look arround and have a view of the city.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Feb 11, 2010, 1:57 am
#7
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Programs: UA Plat-2MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hyatt something
Posts: 1,888
I've been going to Doha every month or two for several years. I've stayed regularly at the Ritz, Marriott, and more recently the Sheraton. I have access to a great corporate rate at the W and as a Platinum thought I would check it out.
Platinum upgrade to a Fabulous room (oversize corner room, pictured above in mecabq's great post). In the Fabulous room the sink and shower were very functional: very good temperature control, soap dish, very functional rectangular sink. I also felt the corner sitting area was a waste of space but the rest of the room was spacious and functional. I can believe the regular category rooms are small.
Wired internet worked very well. Wireless worked okay but speed was very slow at peak times in the evening (the wired was several times faster at those times).
Platinums get a continental breakfast which you can take either from the lobby takeaway cart or in the W-ip (VIP) lounge, not in the main restaurant. The Crystal Lounge serves as the W-ip lounge from 6am-6pm for Plats and upgraded rooms and suites. I saw very few people in there but it's a pleasant place to chill out during the day, if you want. The staff were very nice to me. In the morning they have continental breakfast. After that they have a few choices of soft drinks, fresh chips and salsa, small cut veggies with dip, and small fruit kababs. Those "snacks" do not change all day or on any day the week I was there. Other soft drinks like sparkling water are charged at menu prices. Alcohol is free (it wasn't clear to me exactly what was free) from 5-6pm only. At 6pm it goes to the Crystal Lounge and is not a Platinum lounge any longer.
My corporate rate includes the full breakfast in the Market, which is very good and as described above. Normally QR125.
Market and Spice Market (which is a little hyped up but I find quite tasty) both have a good deal from 12-4pm every day except Friday (that's the local weekend). You can get a three course 'express lunch' in either restaurant for QR80, drinks extra. It's a very good deal by Doha hotel standards and a fraction of the regular menu prices. You have five or more choices for each course in each restaurant. Maison du Caviar has set lunches at the same time for QR90 for two courses and QR115 for three courses (no actual caviar at those prices).
I agree the bottled waters are expensive by local standards (QR20 in Market and QR25 in Spice Market for a half liter; twice that for a liter) with no cheaper local bottled option as in most hotels. I've never seen anyone in a Doha hotel restaurant drink tap water even though it's perfectly potable. Maybe I'll try asking for it next time!
If anyone wants more info about Doha travel in general, I am happy to receive PMs.
Charles
Platinum upgrade to a Fabulous room (oversize corner room, pictured above in mecabq's great post). In the Fabulous room the sink and shower were very functional: very good temperature control, soap dish, very functional rectangular sink. I also felt the corner sitting area was a waste of space but the rest of the room was spacious and functional. I can believe the regular category rooms are small.
Wired internet worked very well. Wireless worked okay but speed was very slow at peak times in the evening (the wired was several times faster at those times).
Platinums get a continental breakfast which you can take either from the lobby takeaway cart or in the W-ip (VIP) lounge, not in the main restaurant. The Crystal Lounge serves as the W-ip lounge from 6am-6pm for Plats and upgraded rooms and suites. I saw very few people in there but it's a pleasant place to chill out during the day, if you want. The staff were very nice to me. In the morning they have continental breakfast. After that they have a few choices of soft drinks, fresh chips and salsa, small cut veggies with dip, and small fruit kababs. Those "snacks" do not change all day or on any day the week I was there. Other soft drinks like sparkling water are charged at menu prices. Alcohol is free (it wasn't clear to me exactly what was free) from 5-6pm only. At 6pm it goes to the Crystal Lounge and is not a Platinum lounge any longer.
My corporate rate includes the full breakfast in the Market, which is very good and as described above. Normally QR125.
Market and Spice Market (which is a little hyped up but I find quite tasty) both have a good deal from 12-4pm every day except Friday (that's the local weekend). You can get a three course 'express lunch' in either restaurant for QR80, drinks extra. It's a very good deal by Doha hotel standards and a fraction of the regular menu prices. You have five or more choices for each course in each restaurant. Maison du Caviar has set lunches at the same time for QR90 for two courses and QR115 for three courses (no actual caviar at those prices).
I agree the bottled waters are expensive by local standards (QR20 in Market and QR25 in Spice Market for a half liter; twice that for a liter) with no cheaper local bottled option as in most hotels. I've never seen anyone in a Doha hotel restaurant drink tap water even though it's perfectly potable. Maybe I'll try asking for it next time!
If anyone wants more info about Doha travel in general, I am happy to receive PMs.
Charles
Last edited by LAX UA 1K; May 18, 2010 at 3:36 pm Reason: corrected room name
Feb 17, 2010, 7:11 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: United MM- Marriott Titanium - Air France/KLM Flying Blue Platinum
Posts: 4,835
Checked in yesterday for three nights. Hotel is at the middle of the huge construction zone that is Doha. Building is beautiful and the decoration in the lobby is really stunning. beautiful hotel.
No platinum recognition at check in, was upgraded to a fabulous room and was told that there were no suites available.
Not a big deal as the room is quite nice and roomy. Really love the style of this hotel
complimentary breakfast at the crystal lounge is a little lame but no complaints it's free.. overall good experience.
No platinum recognition at check in, was upgraded to a fabulous room and was told that there were no suites available.
Not a big deal as the room is quite nice and roomy. Really love the style of this hotel
complimentary breakfast at the crystal lounge is a little lame but no complaints it's free.. overall good experience.
May 18, 2010, 3:35 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Programs: UA Plat-2MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hyatt something
Posts: 1,888
Continuing to stay here regularly and pleased with the experience. The W-ip lounge has improved its policies: free choice of soft drinks during the day including bottles of sparkling water and generous choice of alcohol from 5-6pm daily. The snacks are slightly improved and slightly more varied. Quite good sushi rolls and ceviche (?) are often available 5-6pm during the happy hour.
Upgrades either to Fabulous (oversized corner) room or W suites each time. I corrected my earlier post; I have not stayed in the "Marvelous" rooms, which are the regular rooms but on the upper floors and include the W-ip lounge (sort of an inexpensive cash upgrade for non-Platinums).
Upgrades either to Fabulous (oversized corner) room or W suites each time. I corrected my earlier post; I have not stayed in the "Marvelous" rooms, which are the regular rooms but on the upper floors and include the W-ip lounge (sort of an inexpensive cash upgrade for non-Platinums).
Feb 18, 2012, 9:43 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Raleigh
Programs: United GS 2MM,, Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 754
I've stayed here 3 times now. My first stay this year was as a platinum, got upgraded to a "cool corner" suite, which is one room, but is very nice as the desk faces the water. (Well, half the cool corners face the water, the other half face a construction zone). The decor and floor-to-ceiling glass is great. But there are several construction sites around the hotel which does lend to dirty glass! The only other issue is the lighting in the room, which is overly complicated.
Service has been good to excellent for me.
Valet parking is free, which is fantastic. (and its the only option, there is no self parking). The valet attendants always seems a bit surprised and/or awkward when I tip them - so they don't even seem to expect the tips.
The restaurant are excellent. I agree that The Market just has fanstastic menu items, including two good Hamour dishses (the local fish).
Overall I'd totally recommend this place, especially for those who like modern design.
Service has been good to excellent for me.
Valet parking is free, which is fantastic. (and its the only option, there is no self parking). The valet attendants always seems a bit surprised and/or awkward when I tip them - so they don't even seem to expect the tips.
The restaurant are excellent. I agree that The Market just has fanstastic menu items, including two good Hamour dishses (the local fish).
Overall I'd totally recommend this place, especially for those who like modern design.
Dec 17, 2012, 11:22 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,482
Extended Late Checkout
As many flights from DOH leave around midnight, is it possible to get an extended late checkout until, say, 9PM?
Free will be nice but I am happy to pay up to 50% rate for 9-10PM checkout.
Free will be nice but I am happy to pay up to 50% rate for 9-10PM checkout.
Dec 21, 2012, 10:42 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Programs: UA Plat-2MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hyatt something
Posts: 1,888
Taxis are inexpensive and Doha is not very large (although congested at peak times). The fare is usually about QR 50 (US $14) to the W hotel (including the recently raised airport surcharge).
On the way back there are no public taxis at the W hotel but you or the doorman might be able to call one. They have hotel cars, which are likely several times more expensive (the minimum hotel car to the airport may be QR 150 according to their website). I use local private drivers from a company and their standard charge is QR 50 to or from the airport (plus waiting time if needed at QR 30 per half hour). If you PM me, I'll send you my guy's name and local number.
I usually tip taxi and car drivers in Doha although I can tell you many people do not.
Dec 21, 2012, 10:49 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Programs: UA Plat-2MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hyatt something
Posts: 1,888
At other hotels in town: Marriott was the most accommodating with sometimes allowing a 7pm checkout at no cost as a Gold/Plat (and would have done the same for others with a 50% room charge).
At these hotels, their housekeepers are usually finishing up for the night around 7-8pm. If the room is still occupied at that hour they cannot rent it again that night.
For the money involved, it may be better to check out and store your bags, go off to spend some money on a nice dinner, walk around the Pearl, or the souk, and then come back to collect bags and head to the airport (although note that the souk is on the way to the airport).