LAX UA 1K

I haven't been in a while but normally you can order room service all day to eat in your room or dine in the main all day restaurant of each hotel. Specialty hotel (and non hotel) restaurants will open after sundown. Many hotels also have a Ramadan tent with a buffet and entertainment from sundown to sunrise.

RafKa

Alleged rape of a Dutch woman, who says she was drugged at the hotel's Crystal Lounge:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/0...112412853.html

"The woman, 22, said she was drugged during a party in March at the Crystal Lounge nightclub at the W Doha Hotel, and woke up in an unfamiliar apartment when she realised she had been sexually assaulted."

khabah

Not to undermine the severity of this situation, but what is the relevance of this to us on FlyerTalk?

khabah

RafKa

If I stayed at the hotel and the toilet was blocked, or some other unpleasant situation occurred during my stay, I would post it here, and people would find it relevant, right? So why not warn others who might frequent the Crystal Lounge that their drinks may be spiked? An isolated incident it may be, but still worth putting on the record for the property IMHO.

spainlover

Particularly as a woman, given Qatari laws. This woman spent 3 months in prison for "committing adultery" -- she was raped, and didn't choose to "commit adultery." Way more important IMHO than some minor maintenance issue at the hotel.

Centurion

The post is appropriate for Flyertalk. At minimum it alerts people to a possible safety issue. I planned a stay at the W Doha until I found out the restaurants were closed for Ramadan. I updated the Wiki about the restaurants being closed and this alleged incident has more importance than a food or beverage issue . I think the alleged incident belongs in the Wiki and updated the Wiki. Further the link to Aljazeera news article keeps changing and I wonder why?

QATAR12 JUNE 2016

Qatar: Dutch woman who alleged rape to appear in court
Tourist held since March after reporting being drugged and raped likely facing charges of having sex out of marriage.


The Dutch embassy said officials were in close contact with the woman and her family in the Netherlands [File pic: EPA]
Doha, Qatar - A Dutch woman who alleged she was drugged and raped is to appear in court on Monday, believed to be charged with having sex outside of marriage, a criminal offence in this Gulf state.

The woman, 22, said she was drugged during a party in March at the Crystal Lounge nightclub at the W Doha Hotel, and woke up in an unfamiliar apartment when she realised she had been sexually assaulted.

The Dutch woman, who was on vacation at the time, reported the incident to Qatari police and was immediately arrested. She has been held ever since on charges that still remain unclear.

Al Jazeera called the Qatari prosecutor's office to confirm the charges and the nationality of the alleged assailant, but received no response by publication time.

One senior defence lawyer not involved in the case told Al Jazeera that the woman may face charges of having sex outside marriage, a serious crime under Qatar's penal code.

Conflicting accounts

The alleged assailant - who also has been arrested - acknowledged having sex with the woman but said it had been consensual, according to Dutch media reports.
The Dutch embassy in Doha told Al Jazeera that officials were in close contact with the woman and her family in the Netherlands.

"We have provided assistance to her since the first day of detention. For the sake of the defendant's case, we will not make further comments at this point," the Dutch embassy said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera on Sunday.

The victim's mother was quoted by Dutch media describing the ordeal her daughter is going through as a "nightmare".

Doha-based attorney Najeeb al-Nuaimi - Qatar's former justice minister who is not involved in the proceedings - told Al Jazeera that defence lawyers will have to prove there were "no voluntary actions" between the woman and the man.

He said that even if she was seen walking with the accused, the judge may have doubts, adding signs of force would need to be proved in a rape case.

If not, the judge would probably consider ruling against both for having sex outside marriage, which is known as "zina" under Islamic law. Nuaimi said such cases often end with a judge issuing a punishment involving "a number of lashes".

spainlover

I emailed Starwood customer care to ask if they have taken any additional security measures, saying that as a single female traveling alone who is booked to stay there later this year, I am concerned about this situation and considering whether to change my reservation to a different hotel. Most likely I won't do that, and will simply avoid that particular lounge as well as not order any drinks that I can't open myself while in Qatar. Anyway, here is the response:

Dear XXX,

Thank you for contacting the W Doha Hotel and Residences. It will be my pleasure to assist one of our loyal members, with any concerns or doubts about a future reservation. We appreciate your loyalty to our SPG program.

XXX, it will be my pleasure to assure you that, you have made an excellent choice by choosing our property. We are located in a great location and offer the highest level of customer care for our guests. I have shared your comments with our management team and I can tell you that we take the security and well being of our guests very seriously.

We look forward to hosting you in December and we hope to exceed all the expectations you have come to expect from Starwood hotels. We look forward to hosting you worldwide at any of properties, hotels, or resorts in the future as well.

Dr. HFH

IMO it's sort of relevant. Someone was drugged and assaulted? That can happen at any hotel anywhere. I see no reason not to post on FT, but to draw the conclusion that the hotel is not safe would be unfounded.

Female rape victims will/can be charged with having sex outside of marriage in Qatar? That's relevant, but applies uniformly throughout Qatar, not just at the W. Qatar is strict about that stuff. Married Qatari couples must provide a marriage certificate on checkin if they wish to stay in the same room.

I stayed in the W for a few nights late last year. (I'm male.) Used SNAs and got a great suite with cool architecture and lighting. There are lots of staff hanging around the lobby; and they were uniformly pleasant, welcoming and eager to do whatever they could to assist me. Happy hour was odd, though; as I had to pay for my drink, and that fact wasn't apparent until the check came before I left.

I would go back to the W in a minute; although next week I have a one night stay at StR. Just wanted to try it as my cousin went there for several days last year and loved it.

Oxon Flyer

..... the Welcome Gift afforded to guests at the 'Genius' tier level.

youvesaiditall

Just completed a one night stay here and was very impressed.

Check In: Arrived at about 11am. Was made aware that my SNA was on file and that the room was ready, but just needed a final quality check. 5 minutes later, I was presented with my key to 1025, which is a WOW suite. The room was well appointed in the typical W fashion. It also had a nice desk space to get work done.

The lounge had solid offerings--enough for me to have any meal there and feel full if needed. The lounge offered alcoholic drinks for free from 6-8pm.

The gym is excellent with plenty of machines, free weights, ect. The Pool was complete and looked nice, but it was a bit cool in Doha, so I did not hop in.

Where the hotel really shined for me was on check-out. My flight was not until 2am, and at 4pm when I checked out, I asked if it would be ok to use the lounge until 8, offering to pay if necessary. Not only did she say that was completely fine to use complimentary, but also to come back and let her know if I wanted to shower before heading to the airport. She said she would find an open room to allow me to do that as well. While I did not take her up on that offer--I thought it was extremely generous.

There is construction near the property, but it was no bother at this point. It looks like they are building a foundation between the property and the sea, so that could pose some problems for both noise as it goes up and views once completed.

With that, if I ever had to be in Doha again, I would not hesitate to return to this property.

JBG89

For an overnight Doha transit stay ~18 hours, can anyone advise between the Westin and the W as a plat member? I also have hyatt globalist and that could be an option as well.

Thanks!

EdV

I've been to both many times. 18 hours isn't terribly long. A little more info will help. What are you looking for? Dinner and sleep? A night out? Quiet in general? What time do you arrive / depart - makes a huge difference given how terrible traffic is there.

Both treat Plats well in my opinion though I think the benefits at the W go further but not enough to make a difference on an 18 hour stay.

makin'miles

I'm not JGB89, but I'll build on her/his question... I get in about midnight and will leave the hotel about 1pm the next afternoon. May sit by the pool, or may visit the Museum of Islamic Art if I get up on time.

I could do the Hyatt, but I'm an SPG Plat and looking primarily at the W and the St. Regis.

forkknifespoon

Same questions as the above. Have 2 layovers in Doha. One from 5am to 2am, and the other from 12am to 8am. As a platinum, which SPG resort in Doha would be best for enjoying a pool and excellent service for the first layover?

EdV

I personally love the W pool and service - you really feel removed in there but there's still lots to do and great dining options. The Sheraton is more of a complex; bigger with a small "beach" and large pool area though not as nice IMHO as W. St. Regis is as you'd expect though further than both of the W and Sheraton.