allset2travel

Have a long layover one Sunday night. Am considering the Marquis.

Any recent experience re if the executive lounge is open on Sunday?

Thanks in advance.

SkiAdcock

Per the property's website :

Special Benefits

This room features Executive lounge access
Open: Sun-Sat, Open: 06:00am-12:00am
Private access floor
Complimentary food:
- Hot buffet breakfast
- midday snack
- afternoon tea
- hors d'oeuvres
- dessert
- late night snack
Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages
Honor bar
Business services, for a fee
Two dedicated private lounges, one on the 8th floor of the South Tower with an outdoor terrace.
Second one on the 42nd floor of the North Tower with spectacular panoramic views of Doha.
The lounges also offer complimentary wireless internet in the lounge.
Complimentary happy hour from 5:30pm-7:30pm daily. (During this time kids access is not permited).
2 hours complimentary use of the private meeting room (subject to availability).
Room Features

soy

I updated the wiki recently with

* Doha / Marriott Marquis City Center Doha / OPEN; free wifi; children not allowed from 5:30-7:30 (happy hour); 2 lounges, one on 48th floor closed (for renovation?)
One on 8th floor open but no breakfast; directed to full buffet in restaurant; 08/17 update

Was not there for happy hour so don't know what the offering is like. Standard US lounge offering during the day (tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit and nuts/trailmix/candy IIRC)

Hotel decor is a bit tired, but fine. Main advantage is directly connected to a mall, so can ramble about without having to deal with the Doha climate. Nice Gym and outdoor pool, plus restaurant brekkie is decent

Sweet Willie

This statement has me concerned, what is the reason to stay at the Doha Marriott if they don't acknowledge Marriott membership benefits?

SkiAdcock

Based on other reports above they do. I'm wondering if the employee CALM encountered was just making things up.

Cheers.

C17PSGR

I stayed at the hotel earlier this year. As a Plat Premier (one of the few hotels that recognized it was something different than a plat), I had a nice upgrade to a suite.

As for the lounge offering during dinner/happy hour referenced above, they had a number of different mezzes available. It's not an Asian Marriott happy hour, but certainly better than the average US Marriott.

escape4

I recently had a one-night stay at Marriott Marquis Doha. The location is good since it's in city center, but for folks who just want a bed during airport transit then Marriott Doha is a lot closer to the airport. Some reports on TA about the Marriott are not particularly glowing and because the MM temporarily offers a room for 15k pts (instead of 20k), then Marriott = MM so I went with MM without hesitation.

I arrived at 7am and asked if a room was ready. Hotel occupancy is quite low in Doha these days so I was quite sure I would have a room. They told me I could have a twin room right away of if I waited half an hour I could have a king room. I said I do not mind waiting if I could go in the lounge for breakfast. They escorted me to the North Tower lounge on the 42nd floor. The other lounge is in the South Tower and I think they do not have breakfast there - only happy hour.

I ended up receiving a very nice suite rather than only a king room, which was a good surprise. The suite has 1.5 bath, a living room separated from the bedroom by French doors, and another separate room which is like a small office. There are floor to ceiling windows and the suite was a corner room so great view of the city from my room.

The lounge in the North Tower for happy hour was quite crowded and all tables occupied. I ended up having strangers next to me because it was full. I do not know if the South Tower lounge was full too, but I suspect they have two lounges because one is not enough. It must be even worse if hotel occupancy was high. On the plus side, the food offerings were very nice and enough to make it a meal. There was salmon, soup, chicken skewers, pasta, desserts, veggies, etc. I am not sure if alcohol was free but as SkiAdcock pointed out the website indicates it's Honor Bar but I did not see any written register for drinks. Anyway I did not have any alcohol so I am not sure.

Overall this is a very strong property and I was quite pleased. I am used to suite upgrades at Starwood and Hyatt but I thought MM would be more stingy. Sounds like at first they were not going to upgrade me, but when I elected to wait they changed their mind.

If I compare the MM to the Grand Hyatt, I would say the MM is in a better location if you are in Doha for business or for shopping. The GH is more isolated and better for relaxing and vacation (beach, pool). I think the GH has bigger rooms generally and probably higher chance of upgrade there than MM. The lounge in GH is nicer because it's very large and quiet, but food not as good as MM.

I would consider both GH and MM in the future but would tend to prefer MM for a short transit and GH for a longer stay. Cash rates are generally higher at GH than MM but not always. For points redemptions it's a slam dunk: MM for 15k pts is a good deal while GH for 15k pts is an awful deal given how much more valuable Hyatt points are. Even if the MM is the standard 20k pts per night, I would pick that any time over Hyatt for 15k pts.

escape4

with pictures

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

wheatbeer

Can anyone confirm if the Marriott Marquis Doha recognise Marriott status on 3rd party bookings? I have this hotel booked via Qatar Airways as part of their free stopover promo and wondering if they would allow me in the lounge? Thanks.

soy

Yes

wheatbeer

Cool thanks!

escape4

I had another stay at MM Doha, two months after my previous stay that I reported about earlier in this thread. This time, I booked two rooms because I was travelling with my parents. One room was a free night award from the 2017 Q4 promo, and the other room was booked on points (15k - good deal!). Both rooms were upgraded to a corner suite so like my stay from October, a very generous upgrade.

My mom is highly allergic to gluten. The executive chef came to the lounge to meet us in the evening and he offered to prepare whatever dish she wanted. They prepared a nice thick and tender Australian steak. My mom said it was the best of her life! I was glad of the special treatment they gave to my mom because travelling can be tricky for her when she cannot control what food she eats, unlike when she is at home. Most importantly, my mom did not get sick so that means they took good precautions in the kitchen.

Despite the website saying it's Honor Bar in the lounge, I do not think this is accurate. It seemed to be free flow alcohol based on my observations of other guests, but I did not drink anything myself.

The lounge was less crowded this time in December than it was in October.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

SanDiego1K

escape4, thank you for both your earlier and this report. I found them very helpful. I had booked the Westin Doha as it gets very good reports about upgrades for platinums. However, I've got Marriott credit card nights and like the idea of a free stay. I've rebooked based on your report. Hopefully room availability will allow a similar upgrade.