Originally Posted by lost_in_translation

I'm with Dr. HFH here, the rooms aren't intended for use as a hotel if your layover is comfortably above the period where you would qualify for STPC and when I see people moaning that they are only available for 6 hours it does annoy me a little bit - if you need the room for more than 6 hours then I would suggest you are spending too long in the lounge anyway and a hotel would be a better choice! Equally, if everyone on a two-hour layover had access to them I think there would be a lot people asking for a room 'just to see what they were like' etc. given the curiosity various blogs have created around Al Safwa and the quiet rooms.

They work perfectly for overnight layovers of up to around 8 hours where you sleep for up to 6 hours, with possibly dinner before bed and breakfast in the morning afterwards. I have perhaps been extremely lucky but over maybe 8 overnight connections so far this year where I've needed a room for a nap they have always been available - this is precisely because QR are strict on access and don't give out the rooms just so people on shorter layovers can have a shower in them and chill out.

I also actually prefer the shower in the family area as a shower as I find it slightly better ventilated and the water temperature actually adjusts, unlike the showers in Al Mourjan for instance!