I have just completed a 3 day stay with this marvelous new property! For photos, check the spoiler section. I uploaded them small since there are so many. I have also posted this review to a popular Hyatt review site (TA). Feel free to DM me for higher resolution. Anyways, full disclosure, I made a booking, and the opening got delayed, they offered to move me to another Hyatt or let me stay anyways (along with a very generous offer) as long as I knew it was a VERY soft, unofficial launch and there would be hiccups and things not open yet. I am VERY glad I opted to stay. Allegedly I was the second guest EVER, how awesome is that? As of this review, the official opening date is now predicted to be February 15th. Anyways, keeping in mind I was one of a tiny handful of guests and that not all items were fully ready, here’s my take on my “Andaz Suite” room:

Room (9.5/10):

Beautiful décor, absolutely stand up job by the interior design team, Brime Robbins and others. Many mesmerizing artworks and special moments, like the popup vanity in between the bathroom sinks and the lighting, I love the multi-colored pendant that hangs down from the right. The bed is very clean and comfortable, the various furnishings are lux, and the Wi-Fi is strong and consistent, with a functioning Chromecast system. Spacious in size with a nice flow. Great to have a second half bathroom. The shower has a fun, moveable stool for sitting, shaving and otherwise, along with a rainfall shower system AND handheld option. The 2 A/C thermostats are very user friendly and can be switched between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The room will “turn itself off” after several hours of being away, and re-activate when you return. Even the window coverings close to keep the hot desert sun from permeating the room, and re-open upon return if that’s how you left them, giving you astounding views of the bay and a glorious sunrise. Very smart! The mini fridges are stocked with delicious waters, my favorite was definitely the sparkling mango. If you run out, you can likely ask for more, or pick some up in the signature Andaz lounge. The electrical outlets are modern for 2025 living, so you likely don’t even need a travel adaptor. They also all include one USB A and one USB C outlet directly, handy!!! The subtle rose scented bath products were nice, and I particularly enjoyed the gold plated hairdryer, not used one of those before. Housekeeping was wonderful and very thorough, and I also appreciate that you can activate a do not disturb light as opposed to a paper door hanger.

Room for improvement (keeping in mind I was an early guest and this very well could change or be fixed): No obvious place to hang towel after finishing a shower other than where the plush robe is placed (which looks visually great but less functional). The light switch signage being below rather than above the switches can be hard to see when standing over them. The bottom cabinets in the sideboard console are not soft-close/opening like the drawers above them. Finally, the smoke detector lights that blink are a bit bright, but I suspect they’ll have this sorted soon. Overall, a GREAT room.

Hotel Lobby & Facilities (9.75/10):

The lobby design is VERY fun, bright pops of red, black and white give a luxe, unique vibe. There is ample seating to wait for your Uber/Karwa/Taxi, and fun artwork abound. I love the elevator bay sculpture. The lounge is lovely if you need to meet someone or have a meeting, and the snacks are always present. I am unable to review the pool as it wasn’t open yet. The gym is 24/7 and well stocked, modern. The spa is excellent, nicely designed, with a changing area, steam room, sauna, Hamman area, and relaxation spot, as well as two “experience” showers with rainfall and a light windstorm. Props to Hatit (sp?) for his friendliness and for giving me a tour, and his colleague whose name escapes me. Despite being one of only a few guests, I met so many staff and while they all knew my name, I am horrible at remembering names. I also was grateful for Leeroy, so friendly and helped me in person and via emails before my arrival. Thanks to many other members of the team as well, and props to Dennis, the operations manager, for leaving out his business card for all guests to contact him as well. Fortunately, I didn’t need to.

Room for improvement, keeping in mind again, this was a soft soft unofficial launch: The elevator bays will quietly open one of four doors and if you aren’t quick, you might miss them. But even the elevators have a nice design to the wall pattern! Also, there isn’t an obvious walking path to leave the hotel and explore on foot, which I eventually realized is common in Doha, it is too hot to be walking 9 months out of the year, and this is standard.

Location (9/10):

If you’ve never been to Doha before, there are a few different areas, including downtown, West Bay with all of the modern Corniche buildings, the Pearl, Lusail, and the suburbs. The Park Hyatt is probably the closest to a primary number of attractions, but the Andaz gets the best of both worlds. You can get between the growing Lusail region and downtown easily, as well as the Pearl. If you like to walk, it is 15 minutes from the metro, but honestly, Doha is an Uber town and very inexpensive, so no big deal. I am VERY happy with the location.

Service (10/10):

Absolutely phenomenal, but of course I might be biased, the entire hotel knew me, even staff I never met, because there were so few of us there. None the less they made me feel special with welcome snacks in the room, a note, and their pride of service. Not one staff member was less than stellar. Extra props to Hussein at check in and Farhan (sp?) at check out, but truly, so many other members as well. The door guy, security, and Irshad on my final couple of days, a concierge or interior doorman of sorts? The welcome mocktail drink was also very fun as well. You truly feel welcomed as you step into the door. And, I wouldn’t count on this for a standard stay per se, but they extended me a truly special, 10 pm late check out as I had a 2 am flight! They truly anticipated my every need. I was so grateful after another long day of seeing as much of Doha as I could.

Restaurants (9.9/10):

Only The Salt Road and the lounge were open, but this was more than fine for me, as exciting as Mr. and Mrs. Hawker and Mumble Jungle seem to be for the near future. But the Salt Road was great!! The food was delicious, I had breakfast, as well as snacks, dessert and dinner during my stay. They have 20+ different salts there, with South African influences. It was a pleasure meeting the Chef, Calum, who did a phenomenal job of taste and also visual plating, alongside his team. Naychi was a great server, along with her colleagues whose names have escaped me. Special props to Ibrahim the F&B manager who took great care of me, even sending room service after I had an exhausting day of tourism. He gave me his cell and had me WhatsApp him any time when something was needed, going above and beyond. Very personable and friendly. Many of his other team members were great as well. The décor inside was also great, elegant, understated beauty, very suited for the space. But can we talk about the food? The short rib, phenomenal, and everything else tasty as well. The bread and butter concept is very fun, you get one “Butter of the day” and one plain butter, unsalted. There are then 3 different salts you can mix into your butter, like an Indian egg salt or Hawaiian black salt, or hundreds/thousands of years old pink Himalayan salt from varying regions. My absolute favorite was the Kalamata olive butter. Apparently Calum’s business partners will source different salts from around the world and rotate them in throughout the seasons. A great concept and not to be missed. A feast for all senses. Only thing to work on? Secure a proper liquor license so you can offer more than just mocktails, which they are doing. Lest I remind one last time, this was a soft, early unofficial opening.

Recap: Overall, if your plan is to have a mixture of relaxation and exploration, or even just business, when in Doha, the Andaz is not to be missed. I have full faith that at full open this is a spectacular hotel that guests and visitors will be able to enjoy and relish in for years to come. Thanks to the entire Andaz Doha team!

For 50 photos, click SPOILER below. DM me for larger size, i.e. the Menu.