Ritz-Carlton, Doha
Location: About 35–40 minutes from the international airport in one of the hotel limos – typically a long wheel-base BMW 7 Series – which is there to greet you as you walk out of arrivals and costs €34. A regular taxi costs half that figure. There are no public transport alternatives.
Ambience: Soaring 150m above the shimmering Gulf, the tower is imposing, expansive and pure Ritz-Carlton. Despite bukhoor and oud scents filtering into the massive lobby, and traditional coffee and dates, the ambience is international and American. If you want a more deliberately Arabic experience head instead for the other Ritz property in Doha, Sharq Village, which is magnificent in its own right.
Guestrooms: 374 large, comfortable rooms fuse Western technology with Arab and European design. Complimentary coffee machine and fruit is a pleasant addition. Prices start at €315 but consider paying €400 for one of 42 club rooms (remember to add 17% tourist tax). There are also 61 suites. Club rooms grant access to the Club Lounge and with it free food and a semi-private space for informal meetings, not to mention amazing views.
Service: This is where Ritz-Carlton never misses a trick. You might laugh at the eccentrically styled reference to staff as ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’, but the results speak for themselves.
Can I work here? Rooms have well-sized desks, but, equally, use the Club Lounge where staff will bring you a laptop with Wi-fiif you don’t have your own. Virtually any type of meeting or conference can be hosted here – there is 3,000m2 of meeting space.
Can I live here? Start with the Olympic-size swimming pool (pictured above), the lavender-bedecked spa and the enormous gym, and then having worked up an appetite gravitate to the Italian hit Porcini, or the signature French restaurant, Le Mer, situated on the 23rd floor.
Worth Noting: The Habanos cigar lounge is a delight and offers live music from a residential Columbian band.
+ 974 484 8000; www.ritzcarlton.com |