article

QH Sensations
Modern décor meets walletfriendly economy inYotel’s
premium cabin
The New Kids
On The Block
By John Hunt
There’s no doubt that Doha is a hotelier’s dream. And with the World Cup looming the
market will continue to expand in an effort to accommodate the influx of population. We
look at three international ‘budget’ hotel chains that could help fill that gap should they
set up shop in Qatar, giving you the best bang for your buck.
B
roadly speaking, hotel accommodation
in Qatar, specifically Doha, falls into two
categories: luxury, and ‘the rest’. Opulent
properties like Kempinski and The Four Seasons
poke into the cloudless sky while in the less
fashionable parts of town there’s a hodge-podge
collection of cheap hotels of variable quality.
There is not only a gap in the market for better
branded, cheaper or ‘deluxe’ hotels, but there’s
also an increasing demand for rooms. This
demand is only going to escalate as Qatar seeks
to become a tourist destination of note, and the
small matter of the 2022 World Cup, an event
that is going to require thousands, perhaps tens
of thousands of new rooms, for the anticipated
influx of football fans from all over the globe.
We anticipate that a significant percentage of
these required rooms are going to be found in
heavily-branded ‘mid-market’ hotels: relatively
cheap, well-known names that are thematically
and stylishly superior to what is currently
available.
Right now there’s a budget hotel presence ‘next
door’ in Dubai, in the shape of ‘easyHotel’ (part
of the easyGroup of companies, best known for
its easyJet airline) which has a property at Jebel
Ali. easyHotel is but one example, but there are
a raft of other names with bigger stables and/
or expansionist policies in the Middle East in
general and Qatar in particular.
QH sampled a trio of upcoming names in the
budget/deluxe hotel sector with their eyes on
the local market based on two criteria: which
brands are coming and what are you getting for
your money?
First up was Motel One, a German chain which
is ubiquitous in its homeland but has expanded
into Austria and the UK. Next stop Doha? They
said little when asked, but this is a chain that
clearly has a growth agenda and also offers
outstanding value for money. I recently stayed
in one of their several properties in Munich,
Germany.
Motel One has a chain-wide dedication to
style, but beneath the style lies substance,
with cavernous receptions (with free Wi-Fi),
decent-sized and well-appointed rooms, rain
showers in modestly-sized bathrooms but, best
of all, an unlimited buffet breakfast included.
For this writer, a decent breakfast is vital prior
to a day of pounding the streets. The price for
this ‘comparative luxury’ is from the equivalent
of QR 300/night, with prices in the Middle East
likely to be keener still.
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Tune is another
player on the bu
dget-hotel scen
Photo Credit:
e that’s making
Chris MacKenz
ie Photography
waves.
Budget chain Motel One mixes upsc
ale charm with economic room rates
One of Yote
l’s smaller,
sleek suite
s
ea
age galley ar
Yotel’s space-
Next was Tune Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland
– a Malaysian-owned chain with a heavy
presence in Asia. Now we were really going
back to basics with the possibility of occupying
an internal room with no windows. The price
reflects this, with rooms costing from just
QR 125/night (more if you want a window!).
However, if you want to use the television,
Wi-Fi, even the hairdryer and use of a towel
then you’ll pay extra. Not much, I grant you,
with the ‘comfort package’ (providing all of the
above) coming in at an extra QR 40/night. While
this is as ‘budget’ as you can get, the hotel is
bright and uniform while being comfortable and
expressive in its brand. Perhaps the biggest
indicator that you are at the budget end of the
spectrum comes in the hotel’s food and beverage
offerings: there aren’t any.
Again, when asked about plans for Qatar, Tune
Hotels was very tight-lipped. It was interesting
to note that there was no denial, however.
Reading between the lines, in my opinion,
they’re on their way.
Lastly, we sampled Yotel at Amsterdam’s
Schiphol Airport. Yotel has two products, a
‘Japanese-style’ cabin hotel for airports (plans,
perhaps for the new Doha International Airport?)
and a standard ‘city’ hotel similar to the products
mentioned above (at a similar price to Motel
One). Yotel were more forthcoming when asked
about their plans for Qatar, commenting: “The
Yotel brand is committed to expanding both its
‘airport’ and ‘city’ concepts. We are looking at
key markets including the Middle East. We feel
that the Yotel brand would be a great addition
to the hospitality landscape and offers guests
an affordable luxury experience.” Overall, Yotel
was excellent in all categories, if a little on the
compact side, though the ‘city’ product will be
more spacious.
As shown above, a lot of budget/deluxe
companies are very coy about their plans for
Doha. That’s their prerogative. What can be said
with a degree of certainty verging on fact is that
within a few years’ time there will be a slew of
strongly-branded budget hotels peppering the
Qatari capital. Increasingly, people (especially
tourists) want more for less and, at the moment,
the Doha hotel scene isn’t really providing it.
People want a brand with style and presence at
an attractive price. The gap exists, and market
forces will see that it is filled. You can (Yotel
aside) tell us nothing if you wish, but discussions
between overseas operators and locals are
taking place as I type this, you can count on it. n
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