This hotel stay came about when I was left with an 8 hour layover at Doha airport, from 11pm to 7am. Not wanting to spend a night walking around, after a long flight from Johannesburg, before another long flight to Oslo, I looked into my options, which was no uplifting reading. Deciding that leaving the airport for a hotel room in the city would take some time (immigration/customs, taxi) and still costs a good chunk of money, I ended up booking the expensive, at least in my eyes, airside airport hotel. Now, I’ll agree with you that the room definitely does not match the price, and I even got an upgrade, free of charge, by a very lovely (since giving me an upgrade 😀 ) receptionist. From Superior Room to Deluxe Room. Don’t know if there is a huge difference though… Anyways, the room I got was big, nice looking, had big floor to ceiling windows looking into the departure terminal (covered by moving panels/doors, for nighttime I assume), free access to the wellness centre, room service 24/7, and Rituals toiletries. Even if the ROI is not good, at least this time since I only stayed for a few hours during the middle of the night, and looking at the tangible product only, this is VERY convenient. So much as I’ll consider doing it again. And here’s why. After going through the transfer security checkpoint, you take the elevator up a couple of floors, and check in. When you leave the next morning, same procedure, check out, elevator down. So quickly done that check-out is 15 min before boarding starts. The upside to staying airside!
An alternative to splurging on an expensive hotel, could be upgrading to Business Class on a night flight.
Website: hiahotel.com
It looks like a clean and tidy hotel room. I’d probably pay for the convenience too. Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
It was expensive, but a very nice way to spend a layover!
That is convenient! I always think people forget to factor the time getting to and from airports into travel arrangements – I know I do anyway – so this is perfect!
That is so true! When I was considering alternatives, I initially looked at cost, because this hotel is expensive, but then I realised going into the city and back again would give me a couple of hours of sleep only, really no point.
This is one of the few hotels I never been in in Doha! Let us know if you make it into the city next time #Mondayescapes
On my outbound trip I was able to join the free city tour, to get a taste of the city. Hopefully I’ll have time to explore more the next time I travel through.