BANGKOK—Minor Hotels, currently with a portfolio of 157 hotels and resorts in 24 countries across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa and the Indian Ocean, will open three new-build hotels in Qatar in spring 2018 under its Tivoli and Oaks brands. The three properties are owned by Katara Hospitality.
Launching in April, Tivoli Al Najada Doha Hotel is in the final stages of development in the center of the Qatari capital. Facilities in the five-story property will include 151 guestrooms and suites, a selection of dining options, a fitness center, a swimming pool and a business center. The hotel sits within a new development surrounding a large, open piazza with cafés, restaurants and shops, with the hotel offering al fresco dining on the terrace. Tivoli Al Najada will also offer a ballroom with a capacity of 250 guests.
Oaks Hotels & Resorts will make its debut in Qatar with Oaks Al Najada Doha, also set to open its doors in April 2018. The 100 serviced apartments have been designed to reinvent the conventional residential concepts of compound and high-rise accommodations, with minimalist interiors and an Arabian artistic touch. Oaks Al Najada will offer a range of onsite facilities including an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center, al fresco dining, a pool bar and 24-hour room service. This will be the third Oaks in the Middle East, joining properties in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. Oaks Hotels & Resorts services a combination of corporate and leisure guests for both short and long stays.
Tivoli Al Najada is located alongside Oaks Al Najada, and both are part of the same new development in central Doha. The hotels are within walking distance of the new Msheireb Downtown Doha development, Bank Street, the Museum of Islamic Arts on the Corniche and Souq Waqif. In addition, the location is near Hamad International Airport and the central rail terminal, scheduled to open in 2020.
Souq Al Wakra Hotel Qatar by Tivoli is a new five-star property in Souq Al Wakra, an up-and-coming seaside district that is a 20-minute drive from central Doha. The 101-key property comprises two buildings, both former heritage houses where original character has been preserved. Guestrooms and suites feature classic thatched roofs as well as sea and sand motifs, inspired by Al Wakra’s history as a pearling, diving and fishing village. Facilities at the new hotel will include two restaurants offering international and Middle Eastern cuisines, a shisha lounge overlooking the sea, majlis areas, meeting rooms, Tivoli Spa and fitness, plus a business center.
Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor Hotels, commented, “The Middle East is a key growth market for Minor Hotels and we are delighted to be opening two new Tivoli hotels and debuting the Oaks brand in Qatar. We are delivering on our promise when we acquired Tivoli last year to grow the brand within Minor Hotels’ footprint, and we will see the brand grow further. Qatar will be the second GCC country for Oaks, and there is also opportunity to further grow this brand.”
Last month, Minor Hotels debuted Tivoli Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East with the rebrand of Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels in Doha to Tivoli. Minor Hotels also operates Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara in the Qatari capital. The addition of the three new hotels in Doha will bring the total number of properties operated by Minor Hotels in the GCC region to 16 across multiple brands. In addition, the group has a strong pipeline in the MENA region including new properties under development in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco, three new countries for the group.