Highlights
- Forwarding thinking trendy design.
- Excellent “whatever you need” service.
- Central downtown location.
- Opulent suites with innovative design features.
Experience
Doha, the up-and-coming Middle Eastern capital is has had significant development within the last 10 years. This growth has also seen the emergence of almost every major luxury hotel brand. The W Doha, one of the earlier hotels to enter the market, has established itself as one of the finest and best ranked in the city.
We were excited to experience the hotel for ourselves.
Arriving late in the evening, not only was the driver patiently waiting with a clear sign, but a reception member was also there to greet us and wait with us as the sleek black Land Rover arrived.
We sipped on a cold water during the quick drive to the hotel. On arrival Carl, a W Insider, greeted us and immediately showed us our room. The check in process was just simply signing a form that was waiting for us in the room.
Carl welcomed us and explained that they could organize whatever we needed (even something crazy like a camel if we so desired!) as per their Whatever/Whenever® service. Settling into the beautiful suite, we understood why it was named a WOW Suite.
The 120 square meter setup had a living room, work space, two bathrooms, and a bedroom. On entering the suite, there is a long hallway with floor to ceiling windows leading to the living space. Attached to the hallway are the workspace facing the window and the guest bathroom with a toilet and sink.
The living room had a circular couch facing the large flat screen TV with a custom welcome message on display. In the corner was a spherical piece of design furniture hanging from the ceiling. Across the couch was the built in bar. The room also had mood lighting which could be adjusted to your preference.
The table had an impressive layout of fruit, an assortment of baklava, muffins, a glass of red, a welcome letter and a typewriter. The vintage typewriter to celebrate my profession was a thoughtful touch.
The bedroom continued the circular theme derived from a pearl’s shape. The round bed centered in the room facing another TV and the large windows. Behind the bed was the main bathroom with a sink, shower, separate bath and toilet.
This decadent suite was extremely luxurious but still designed with function and comfort in mind.
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying a film from the large entertainment selection.
The next day we went downstairs to Market by Jean-Georges for a wonderful buffet breakfast. This is the main restaurant for breakfast, but the offerings are plentiful. In fact, I could not think of one item that I craved that wasn’t available in the buffet!
I then used Twitter to communicate with the hotel team. Within minutes I received a reply and set up a tour of the property. This forward thinking initiative to use social media to communicate is an example of how the W Doha embraces and utilizes modern technology with their guests for a more personal experience.
In the lobby we met Ioana, a W Insider, who enthusiastically introduced the hotel and facilities.
We visited the different restaurants and outlets.
The Spice Market is the Asian cuisine restaurant with a warm intimate touch. La Spiga leaves the traditional Italian decor behind with a sexy contemporary design, accentuated with their shiny disco ball pizza oven. We popped into the W Café which was buzzing with people sipping on coffee and snacking on cupcakes.
The Wahm Lounge was decorated for Ramadan with an artsy Middle Eastern feel.
To relax, get a fresh haircut, or workout, the New York based Bliss branded spa, salon, and gym are onsite.
The long Wet® pool offers guests a chance to cool off from the desert heat or alternatively lay down and get some sun on one of the lounge chairs. Snacks and fruit shakes are also served at the pool.
We had a look at the conference/event room which was lavishly transformed into tent themed event.
After the property tour, Ioana took us to see the sights of Doha. With a private car, the sights were all easily reached (though many of them were closed for Ramadan). We saw the palace as well as the old souk.
Our time was limited though as we had a flight to catch. After our check-out, our gracious hosts had arranged for a packed lunch to be prepared as we did not have time to dine and bid us farewell with parting gifts! They really thought of everything!
It is easy to “wow” with a first impression, but not so easy to create a lasting “wow” sensation so that travelers will remember their experience for years to come. The W Doha did exactly that with their considerate personalized service, attentive communications (including social media channels), luxurious facilities and rooms, and trendy atmosphere.
The W is the place to be and stay in Doha.
Contact
W Doha
Address: West Bay · Doha · Qatar
Telephone: +974 4453 5000
Website: http://www.whoteldoha.com
Email: info.wdoha@whotels.com