I read good comments about Westin Doha as well, but unfortunately I have not been there yet so I cannot compare with MM. I intend to go at some point to compare with other properties.

Dollar-wise, Westin is generally a bit more expensive despite a less desirable location than MM, so I suspect the Westin hardware is quite good to justify this price. But point-wise, MM at 15k points is 5k Starpoints, half of Westin at 10k Starpoints. That is a no brainer for me if using points. And if you have credit card free nights, the MM is a very good option since it's cat 4.

I haven't stayed at the Marriott but I don't remember anything about the Marquis providing a cell phone. They certainly didn't affirmatively offer it and I don't remember reading anything about it while at the property.

I couldn't find a master thread for Doha so I assume this is the only summary thread. There's only one property listed in the breakfast thread (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star...t-benefit.html).

Any new information and tips would be highly appreciated, thanks!

I would not consider myself a Doha Starwood expert because I have only stayed at the Sheraton, but I have stayed at a few hotels in Doha outside Starwood so I have a general idea what you get in Doha and for what price (DoubleTree, Marriott Marquis, Grand Hyatt).

For only a weekend, I think the Sheraton is a good choice because the location is perfect, being at the end of the Corniche. The lounge is excellent and I received a generous suite upgrade as a Platinum. So if you intend to pay cash, I would recommend the Sheraton. However if you have points, as sdsearch mentioned the Marriott Marquis is good value on points (now up to 15k points not 10k, but still very good) so I would suggest you get more value with Marriott Marquis where you will get lounge access and where I also got a nice suite upgrade twice.

The Westin thread noted that this hotel has great hardware, but I have not tried it yet because the location is a bit out of the way.

I've only stayed at St Regis and I loved it! The breakfast at the restaurant was excellent and the gym/pool facilities were very well maintained. There are also free fitness/yoga classes available for hotel guests. Although the location is a bit far, uber is very cheap so you can get to anywhere within minutes. St Regis has promotions from time to time and the rate can be as low as Westin.

I recently stayed in 3 hotels in Doha:

• W
• The St Regis
• The Westin

I'm very glad I got to try out three so different hotels! Note that to facilitate reading, the above list is according to preference.

W
Pros:

• upgraded to a W Suite which was thoroughly impressive
• good WIP lounge with decent warm and cold dishes seemingly throughout the day
• the restaurant "Market" served an excellent brunch
• the bar was enjoyable, although not very busy
• a close walk to the Corniche and a an enjoyable hike to the Souk Waqif
• good service

Cons:

• there are two miniscule pools, none of which seemed particularly enjoyable
• while the lounge caters on food, I found it a bit stingy it serves alcohol only between 6-7pm
• it's a city hotel so there are no grounds / outside areas except the pool to speak of

Summary: highly recommended for the vibe


St Regis
Pros:

• upgraded to a nice suite with some extra amenities
• decent F&B options, including Gordon Ramsay
• amazing pool area, highly recommended to reserve some time just to enjoy the grounds

Cons:

• the suite smelled of smoke and couldn't really be fixed despite attempts
• no lounge, no other benefits for plats
• Chinese never-before-heard-of bath gel, shampoo etc in a suite. Highly disappointing
• the area is under development, so there's only Katara at walking distance. You have to creatively cross the road to get there

Summary: Highly recommended if you want to relax by the pool


the Westin
Pros:

• they try hard
• the studio was nice, the toiletries were of good quality (can't remember the brand)
• the pool area and grounds were nice
• there's a lounge with 2 hours of alcohol and decent food options

Cons:

• it's in the middle of nowhere
• the view from the rooms were dismal. I cannot remember having views so bad at even airport hotels!
• while they tried hard, there were several service failures throughout the stay

Summary: won't stay here again

Very surprising! I have never Seen a St. Regis without Remede products.

^ @remymartin Good reviews - some feedback [I've stayed at all SPG options in Qatar]:

- Everything about the W sounds about right. I've never not been upgraded as a Plat and have now stayed in every room category that isn't the EWOW Suite. Plat recognition is great, the lounge is a nice perk for something that isn't a W standard [even though it reeks of stale smoke] but I've stayed there enough times to see them cut the happy hour down from two hours to one-and-a-half to the current one - stingy. I like the new, renovated pools but small is small... and more often than not, they close them off at night all the time for "private functions" and bouncers on hand mean you can't even step outside for a breather. Local area is soulless so not much to do.
- I loved the St. Regis even though it's in the middle of nowhere. Got double-upgraded from a Superior Room to a Grand Deluxe Room [on the app before arrival] to a John Jacob Astor Suite [at check-in]. I had the Remede amenities and everything brand-standard was available. Other than the beautiful breakfast, which I selected in lieu of points, and the gorgeous upgrade there was absolutely no other Plat recognition to speak of.
- Bummer about the Westin! I've stayed there nine times now and even though I've had a variety of issues from the spa not working [with the Jacuzzi spraying jets of water out onto the floor, the steam room and sauna not working on multiple visits], some service misunderstandings from the well-intentioned staff and smells of sewage in the room, I always found the staff to try hard, gestures of goodwill were always made [i.e. apology notes, dessert platters and full-sized bottles of wine placed in the room] without needing to be prompted... and the added space to walk around the grounds was always lovely, even if the immediate residential area of Bin Mahmoud isn't the greatest. PS - I have to agree that the new Azzurro amenities in the bathroom are really good.

Things should get interesting once the new Le Méridien and Luxury Collection properties open up. I know the master website lists the LM by the convention center as opening this December and LM/LC Lusail hotels for April 2020, but the Lusail hotels are very nearly ready [should be open late this year, I believe] and the convention center property hadn't even started construction last I was there. Fun fact: LM Lusail will offer 150 apartments [studios up to four bedrooms] in a separate building in addition to its 250 rooms. Hmm...

khabah

have stayed at the Marquis, corner room, no cell phone provided.

I have a planned 23.5 hour (8:30 to 8 PM the following day) layover in Doha during the Orthodox Easter holiday. It will be my first time to the city. My main goals are to see the Museum of Islamic Arts, the Souqs, and the Corniche, to take some nice photographs, to eat some East Asian food, and possibly go to an Asian supermarket (realistically I doubt I can fit this one in). I live in Lebanon and will be returning back from Oman on this trip, so I have eaten plenty of delicious Middle Eastern foods, and Asian food is lacking here.

I have the double stays/double nights promo, which will be useful for me to requalify. The prepaid rates range from QR573 ($157) for the Westin to QR808 ($222) for the W. It seems like the Westin's location and view aren't the best, but the St. Regis and W don't seem to be that close to the main tourist sites either and would taking require taxis/Ubers. The views would surely be better though.

Would the Westin suit my purpose or should I spend the extra money for say the St. Regis?

Marriott Marquis Doha = Another Excellent Stay
 

Introduction I have returned to Marriott Marquis Doha for the first time since December. This time I found a Look No Further rate guarantee for 300 QAR which is about $80 USD, no tax added on top. The regular rates on Marriott.com are not that low, but from past experience it is not so rare to find a LNF. At that price level, the Marriott Marquis is a no brainer and is great value for the money especially for Platinum members. Room Late last year I got upgraded to an executive suite twice, either when booking with points or a credit card free night. This time I got upgraded to a junior suite, which is not nearly as nice as the executive suite, but it’s an upgrade nonetheless and on a low LNF rate so nothing to complain about. The junior suite does not have the bedroom separated from the living room / working desk via a door but is rather an open L-shaped room. The floor to ceiling windows are nice, but are only for half of one wall so it is not the same wow factor as the executive suite which is a corner room with windows all around. There is only one bathroom in the junior suite; I found it to be in good condition. The only minus is that water pressure in the shower was not that great. The soap and shampoo are Thann which is nicer than what I got recently at Westin Doha. The room and the bed are comfortable; the AC is strong. Pool I stopped by the pool to check it out. It is good for doing laps, otherwise nothing special and not as nice as the pool at Sheraton or Grand Hyatt. But it’s a decent city hotel swimming pool. Dining It is currently Ramadan so there was no alcohol during happy hour 5:30pm-7:30pm in the executive lounge. However I found the food offerings to be as good, if not better than last year. There were options such as glass noodle salad, penne pasta salad, spicy chicken, pad thai noodles, mini burgers, and curry fish with rice. This is in addition from standard veggies and bread. They also have a decent selection of desserts. Since I went to Westin quite recently it is easy to compare and for sure the food in the lounge is better at Marriott Marquis. The only drawback is that the MM lounge is quite small and can be busy – the complete opposite at Westin where it’s very quiet and peaceful. MM also has afternoon tea. There were three kinds of sandwiches in addition to some desserts. Overall Overall I continue to be pleased with MM and I will return for sure. The hotel is usually cheaper than all Starwood options, they are generous with suite upgrades, and the lounge is good. The location is not as good as Sheraton, but not very far. Location is also much better location than Westin at least for my purposes due to the proximity to the Corniche and being attached to a large shopping mall. You can find similar rates at Double Tree as MM but DT does not have a lounge, is not as liberal with suite upgrades, and location is not as good unless you care about being close to the airport for a quick layover then DT is perhaps 5-10 min closer than MM. So if you can get MM for a price similar to DT, it confirms in my mind that you cannot go wrong with MM even if you don’t bother with a LNF rate.

Thanks for the update w/ pics. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

I wonder if they will ever finish the construction of the JW in Doha.