leochngyh

We are family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers, going to have transit in Hamad International Airport in midnight 11:20pm to 7:30am. Dont want to pay the extremely high hotel price but looking for some place that we can have a good rest. Any recommendation is welcome.

Dr. HFH

In what cabin are you traveling?

leochngyh

Economy

Crisu69

Without any lounge access i know only about separate quiet rooms for man and woman

https://dohahamadairport.com/relaxation/quiet-rooms

orbitmic

Welcome to Flyertalk leochngyh ! To add to the previous answer, without any lounge access you won't have great choice and I think that most people in this case end up just staying in one of the areas that have chairs around the terminal or use the separate quiet rooms mentioned. I think that the only pay-per-use lounge is Al Maha but quite frankly, at $55/person and a maximum stay of four hours, it is unlikely to be a great alternative. You could also exit and book a hotel outside of the airport, but with a stay of only 8 hours and no fast track, this really means a very short stay, I'd guess 4 hours at the hotel max.

The only alternative is indeed the very expensive transit hotel.

So in effect, if the transit hotel is too much for you, I'd say that you'll have to accept that this will be a not-too-great 8 hours to be spent in the public areas of the airport and make do with it, or make lemonade out of lemons and take the kids on a city tour if timings make this sensible.

leochngyh

Thanks all for quick replies. I am thinking to call Qatar Airways to ask for transit accommodation, or else I will prepare lots of movies in my laptop to burn the 8 hours. Just hope they could give me a few hours of accommodation or a place to rest and shower will be best.

IAN-UK

They won't give you anything out of goodwill. If you satisfy the conditions for their free accommodation you'll get it: if not, you're on your own.
The conditions are set out elswhere in this forum.

leochngyh

I have called Qatar and my transit actually meets the criteria.

• There is no connection of less than eight hours available;
• The transit time in Doha is between eight and 24 hours;
• The booking does not include flights to or from Kuwait (KWI) or Muscat (MCT)

http://www.qatarairways.com/en/hia-h..._1559559933516

The accommodation is approved but still waiting for confirmation for room availability.

Thank you guys/gals for helping out.

ISTFlyer

Just an advise that if you and your family want to maximize sleep, ask for the airport hotel instead of a city hotel. When you would claim your voucher at the hotel desk, the employee over there would ask if you wish a hotel in the city or the airport hotel. Immigration in DOH could be a pain when traveling in Y in both directions at the officers over there are slow like the USA.

By the way, it's highly possible that your room would be confirmed as I have got a room several times when I've walked into the hotel desk.

leochngyh

Thanks, i will take the airport hotel for sure since the time we are there is midnight and there is nothing worth to go out from the airport for only few hours.

orbitmic

You can ask but that is certainly not guaranteed. In fact, I have never had the airport hotel approved when on the QR STPC despite asking every single time and the same goes for my partner when she's travelled without me. I think QR avoid it and only tend to keep it for people who can't have a visa or have special needs.

xychromosome

Can I ask which office you called? I'm based in the US and can't find a US-based office on their website

Thanks

quitecryptic

Does the 8-24 hour layover free transit accommodation only apply to itineraries ticketed by QR? I know for the stopover program it has to be ticketed by QR, but is the same true for the layovers where there is not any shorter transit time available?

For reference I have a WDH-DOH-IAH itinerary with 9 hour layover as the shortest option, booked through AA.

ashbjr

Unfortunately, as Orbitmic has pointed out, the Airport Hotel is unlikely to be an option. With STPC, the hotel outside is guaranteed and they will put you in a hotel room if you are willing to go outside. But with an 8 hour transit, and the time that it takes to clear immigration, travel to the hotel, and depending on where you are flying, the need to be at the airport 2-3 hour before you fly, going out becomes not a great option. The only time I was given the Airport Hotel was totally by chance. My visa approval took a long time and the immigration office refused to issue a transit visa for a now shorter transit period, so QR, knowing I have waited so long, really tried very hard to get me a spot in the airport hotel and managed to in the end. I had flown business and was a QR platinum member, so I believe they tried a bit harder than they would have if I had no status and traveling in Y.

orbitmic

Yes, my experience is much the same as ashbjr in terms of free transit = Oryx Rotana unless there is an imperious and exceptional reason (from QR's point of view) to try and get the passenger at the airport hotel. The QR phrasing on their website is the same (I paraphrase but: "if you are not eligible for free STPC you can book the airport hotel instead")

I also think it's important to remind everyone that there is a main (and excellent) STPC thread on this forum which answers many of the questions above: The QR STPC (stopover) policy?