FlyerTalk Forums - St. Regis Doha [Master Thread]

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sriegert (Post 31096133)

I may be alone here but I find the layout of this hotel confusing. It took me 10+ minutes to figure out how to get to the beach area from the lobby as there’s not a ground level entrance in the back. Rather one has to take the stairs/elevator from one of the side wings. Most of the activity is focused on the mezzanine level.

I couldn't figure how to get back from pool to lobby. I remember knocking on a glass area under sweltering heat while an attendant pointed/ motioned for me how to get back. Another reason I did not love this hotel

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkiAdcock (Post 31097698)

Can someone report on the breakfast situation for P/T/As, so that I can update the exec lounge sticky? Thx!

Cheers.

Appoliges I am unsure what P/T/A's are however breakfast is severed 6-11.30 usually. There is no Exec Lounge.

In Ramadan there is a Suhoor (Breakfast) menu and they will deliver as per in room dining

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHLTP (Post 31098885)

Completely agree the layout is horrible to get to the pool however the staff at this hotel are exceptional and go well above and beyond. I cant speak highly enough, I have shared many memorable events at this property and genuinely feel like part of an extended family!

The lobby is a bit of a warren until you get used to it but I didn't find the pool too difficult to get to. Just a warning given I stayed the first day of Ramadan and there was a note saying they were moving the location of the reception desk for the duration of Ramadan (it hadn't moved yet as of when I checked out last week). Upgraded to a St. Regis Suite which was nice-ish but a bit dated. Service very good throughout, food quality also high.

Stayed at RC Doha for a few days previously and a bit of a toss-up as to which is the best hotel, both a strong contender for the best in Doha, I'd say (yet to try the new MO). St. Regis has a much nicer pool and public areas but the rooms are now dated. RC had good but not quite as perfect service and the pool in particular is less impressive (basically looks like what I always imagined a '5 star' hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh would be like), but the suites have been beautifully refurbished. St. Regis the marginally better location, but honestly both are pretty inconvenient for both downtown Doha and the airport.

A very positive review of the hotel and its Empire Suite...

https://milestomemories.boardingarea...m=BoardingArea

I always had heard that this was the best St Regis in the Middle East by many accounts This review certainly reinforces that impression.

St.Regis Doha = Very Generous Upgrade but Slighty Dated Rooms

Introduction I stayed at Ritz Carlton Doha about two weeks ago and now at St.Regis Doha so I can easily compare the two. Based on my stay I can say St.Regis is a fine property in Doha, perhaps not always my favorite in the city depending on my purpose while in Doha, but it does have some strong points so I can recommend it. Location In Doha I sometimes prefer hotels closer to the Corniche such as Sheraton Grand or hotels closer to the airport especially for a one-night stay during a layover, and while St.Regis is not very close to either, at least itâ€™s better located than Ritz Carlton. Not only is the Corniche closer but you are also right on a beach at St.Regis. Common Areas Once you arrive at the hotel, you can immediately see the imposing structure with the two huge oryxes at the bottom of the entrance. Once inside the hotel, the common areas are equally impressive and imposing. Room I booked the entry level room using a free night certificate and I received a generous 5-category upgrade to the John Jacob Suite so the hotel went 2 notches beyond the â€œjunior suiteâ€ upgrade. The John Jacob Suite is very spacious at 110 square meters and in my opinion in line with St.Regis standards in terms of quality. There is a powder room off the entrance and a full living room separated from the bedroom. While there is nothing wrong with the room, I would give the edge to the executive suite we got at Ritz Carlton in a number of minor ways, but they add up. First off, the room in St.Regis had carpet and I preferred the hardwood floors at RC. The furniture at RC was more recent as the hotel has been refurbished recently, the tech features were a bit better for example electric curtains at RC, there was a small balcony at RC and not at StR, the powder room was cramped at StR (the door opened about 1 cm from the counter) and was bigger at RC, the shower was also bigger and nicer at RC than StR which took a long time before we could get warm water. The TVs at StR are somewhat small relative to the size of the bedroom and living room, and the walls of the living room felt a bit naked and in need of more deco. Bathroom amenities at StR were the standard Le Remede products just like RC also had the brand standard Asprey Purple Water. The one feature I liked better at StR is that the room had a more local touch due to the shape of the Arabic entry ways to the various rooms. None of these are big deciding factors but if I must pick one room then RC would be my choice. Itâ€™s all relative: Doha has many new and modern hotels and StR opened in 2012 which is not old by any means but you can notice the difference. Dining I found the StR breakfast to be noticeably better than at RC in most aspects. Other than RC having fried rice and soup which StR did not have, the rest was in StRâ€™s favor. There was more choice at StR for example several warm dishes such as juicy pieces of white chicken, there were lentils, falafel, samosas, more choice of baked veggies, etc. Also there was an interesting mixed juices station (although portions very small!), and most importantly there was an a la carte menu offering more than made to order omelets which I found to be lacking at RC. Unfortunately the â€œCrab Royalâ€ poached eggs that we tried was forgetful and contained fake crab, but at least they had choices that RC did not have on top of the buffet so if I was to return at StR I would try other options such as the breakfast tortilla. The brand standard at RC is normally that elites do not get free breakfast and I was thankful that they went above the rules to give it to us for free, but StR breakfast is also free if you forego the 1k points so itâ€™s a tie regarding cost at least for elites. The other way in which breakfast at StR is better than RC is the restaurant itself: the atmosphere felt more roomy at StR and it was not crowded, plus they have a terrace outside for people who want to have breakfast with the warm morning desert breeze. As a final note about breakfast I would mention that hours are quite convenient: 6am-11am. Pool Another main advantage of St.Regis over RC is the pool. It looked very nice; I did not use it but for guests who value a pool then it should be seen as a strong point in favor of StR. Overall All in all St.Regis Doha is a good property; that said there are lots of strong Marriott chain choices in Doha. I would give the edge to RC over StR for people who care most about the rooms, and also RC has a lounge which can be a plus if you are willing to pay for it - itâ€™s a choice which does not exist at StR. Conversely StR wins for people who value the breakfast, the location, and the pool.

Planning for a stay here in a couple of Months. Noticed that the rooms/suites have been renovated. They look amazing.

I really enjoyed my stay here at the St Regis Doha. I can see why some are less than warm about this property as the soft product is less hands-on than some other STR properties. However, the amazing comfort and design of the hard product really shows in this property. Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Pros:

Upgraded approximately 3 hours prior to arrival to a Caroline Astor Suite (King Executive) - earlier in the morning, my app showed a modest Grand Deluxe Sea View upgrade
The suite is beautiful with awesome blue color scheme and attractive yet comfortable furniture
Lovely sea view, despite the Intercontinental blocking most of the view of West Bay
AWESOME BED - really can't stress enough how plush this bed was - the fluffiest covers, plushest mattress, and awesome plush pillows
Shower pressure was decent by Middle East standards (won't knock your socks off, but didn't feel weak)
So many lovely windows including in the bathroom for natural light
Absolutely delicious dessert plate - some of the tastiest and freshest macarons, truffles and date pastries - I ate all three truffles, four macarons, and two date pastries in one sitting as it was all so delectable
TVs appeared to have a Chromecast system through GuestTek, but I didn't try it - no native apps
Offered and took 4 PM late checkout
Check-in was friendly as I was asked to leave the line and come to a sit-down desk where the agent was personable
Breakfast taste (Elite welcome gift) was pretty good - good pastries and salmon benedict - full buffet plus made-to-order eggs

Cons:

Arrival experience is chaotic with no real luggage assistance and a porte cochere so busy it looked like an airport drop-off curb
Service is generally hands-off - I never heard from a butler, etc
Breakfast service was slow and disorganized - had to walk up to a server to order eggs, coffee orders took 5 minutes, etc - despite them having lots of staff and a not-full restaurant
Pool/beach access is confusing as you have to go down a smelly hallway and stairwell that feels more like a parking garage, etc.
Mezzanine floor for beach access smelled really sweaty like a locker room, but there were signs that maintenance is ongoing
Significant outside white noise from a generator unit or AC unit (not sure which) - it was constant, so it qualified as white noise and didn't bother me

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast (Post 35003111)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...41690e6c80.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e34fe8837b.jpg

Hmmm. Poached.

David

Quote:

Originally Posted by DELee (Post 35004896)

Hmmm. Poached.

David

No wonder I travel solo - big loner.

Heading here this weekend. Anyone have the conceirge email? Would rather not have to call the hotel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schley (Post 35026552)

Heading here this weekend. Anyone have the conceirge email? Would rather not have to call the hotel.

Hello schley,

The email we have for the concierge at The St. Regis Doha is [email protected] Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Robert V.
Social Media Specialist

Stayed here recently. Overall good stay - room looks recently renovated, spacious and the bed is very comfortable. Breakfast is good as well, variety of options and made to order eggs etc. Only downside is the service could be more proactive - as a status member nothing was explained on checkin (welcome amenity, why no suite upgrade, no mention of butler, not shown to lifts on check-in, etc). Reactive service when requesting something was excellent - quick and to the point. Overall would stay here again.

Stayed here on a redemption stay for 5 nights. After staying here 10 years ago, the place have definitely changed for the better.

Spoke with the Guest Service manager 2 days prior and we were upgraded to a John Jacob Suite. We dined at all restaurants in the main building (Except for the Lebanese), Astor Grill (Has a 25% discount promo), OPA, Hakkassan and SAX. All were lovely and we had fun late night at SAX. Breakfast was chaotic when it's busy but it's ok. Maybe the low point of the stay. We didn't try the opposite buildings' restaurants, it had the Indian and Mexican restaurants but will do next time.

We ordered a bottle of Red wine from Room Service one night and it had a very bad odor, it seems like the storage was not right so we returned it.

All in all, will return to this property for Doha. As we think all other resorts are out of its league (including the new St. Regis which we visited)

Returned here for a 2 night stay.

Upgraded to a John Jacob on the 10th floor.

We had dinner at Rivaaj and La Bodega Negra. Food was good but place was empty. We also had lunch by the pool and the food was average (Applebee's quality). We had a great night at SAX but it was also empty.

They arranged free transportation to the next door Intercontinental as we wanted to try out MANKO which was fun.