Royal Qatar Hotel

We had a great six-night stay at the end of January, though I can see why some people might rate it differently. Siddiqui the Concierge was always polite and helpful, and service overall was excellent. Our room was cleaned regularly, towels replaced, toiletries topped up, and two bottles of water left each time. We ended up with about six bottles by the time we left, and the mini fridge came in handy. Souk Waqif was only a 2-3 minute walk away, which made the location perfect for shopping and dining. The hotel is just behind the gold Souk, and you cross the main road to reach the Souk Waqif area, probably the liveliest part of Doha. There were a couple of drawbacks. The room smelled stale of cigarettes, even though we’re non-smokers. The smell became less obvious over a longer stay, but it could be unpleasant if you’re only there for a night or two, so check with reception at check-in. The shower cubicle looked tired and needs refurbishing, though it worked perfectly and the shower itself was excellent. The buffet breakfast may seem unusual to Brits, with spring rolls, rice, noodles, and local hot dishes. You can ask for cooked eggs and toast, and there was always plenty of choice and food. Thanks to everyone at Royal Qatar Hotel for a pleasant stay.

The room was small, and the bathroom was worse: it felt like a cubicle, with water leaking from the tap by the WC and from the already tiny shower cubicle. There were no more than two bottles of water a day, even for a family. I’ve stayed at three-star hotels in Doha that provide unlimited water, microwave anything on request, and have a water cooling system. Here, there was no cooling system, so in the hot summer afternoon you had to shower with water at 50-60 degrees. These other hotels were close by, which makes me regret trying this one. Never again. The restaurant food was decent and well priced, but it took much longer than staff said it would. They wouldn’t microwave outside food, even though there wasn’t a microwave in my room. I had to buy from the hotel to get food warmed. Worse, when I bought a meal from their restaurant, an attendant told me to bring it downstairs myself if I wanted it microwaved. On the night I was leaving, I ordered food to take on the trip home. The delivery person arrived without a POS machine, and I could only pay virtually with my watch. I asked reception if they could help, but the receptionist just turned me away “politely” without suggesting a solution. I was stranded and ended up stopping by the restaurant on my way to the airport. I was terribly disappointed. It might as well be a 2.8-star hotel, and I’m curious how it got a four-star certificate.

We booked two nights and found that the refrigerator wasn’t working, and the bathroom water wouldn’t get hot even though it was winter. We called reception twice, but they didn’t seem serious about fixing it. They sent a security guard who wasn’t qualified to deal with water problems and didn’t know the cause. He told us to run the water for five minutes, but that didn’t help. A hotel needs trained maintenance staff who can address guest problems promptly if it wants to protect its reputation. I don’t recommend staying here.

The staff were friendly and helped us check in. Check-out was very fast too. Food prices were cheaper than at other hotel restaurants, and both the quality and quantity were very good.