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.