I just spent two nights at the W Doha, and all I can say is WOW!
I’m starting to think the W Hotel brand is actually bipolar. I’m not generally a fan of their US properties, as they’re style over substance, in my experience — I find the furnishings to be cheap, service to be bad, and elite recognition to be lacking. It’s quite sad, because Hyatt’s Andaz properties are among my favorite hotels to stay. In the US I actually kind of prefer aloft properties to W properties, since I find they do a much better job of managing expectations.
But I’ve stayed at quite a few W properties internationally, and absolutely love some of them. For example, over the past year or so I’ve stayed at the W Taipei, W Sentosa Cove Singapore, and W Guangzhou, and they were all absolutely fantastic beyond words.
They had excellent elite recognition, gorgeous rooms, and amazing public facilities. Sadly they’re such a far cry from their US counterparts.
W Sentosa Cove Singapore Suite
I just stayed at the W Doha, which I’m happy to report is in the same league as the other international W properties I’ve stayed at over the past year or so. It’s just an absolutely gorgeous property.
W Doha Lobby
I proactively got upgraded to a Wow Suite, which certainly felt very “50 Shades of W.” Admittedly it’s not totally my style, though it was 100% true to the brand, which I appreciate.
The room had mood lighting in both the living room and bedroom which changed colors every few seconds.
W Doha Wow Suite Entrance
W Doha Wow Suite Living Room
W Doha Wow Suite Dining Room
W Doha Wow Suite Bedroom
W Doha Wow Suite Bathroom
W Doha Wow Suite Shower
W Doha Wow Suite Bathtub
As a Platinum guest I could have complimentary breakfast in the Market by Jean-Georges restaurant.
W Doha Market Restaurant
In terms of other awesomeness, the hotel has a club lounge, or WIP Lounge, as they call it. This makes it the second W I’ve been to with a club lounge, in addition to the W Guangzhou.
W Doha Lounge
This lounge served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And we’re not just talking nibbles, but a legitimate buffet. There was hardly ever anyone in there, so I sat there quite a bit sipping on cappuccinos while getting work done, and certainly had a meal or two there.
W Doha Lounge Dinner
W Doha Lounge Dinner
W Doha Lounge Dinner
W Doha Lounge Dinner
Simply an awesome hotel. I got a proactive suite upgrade, the service was excellent, and the club lounge was awesome (possibly the most extensive I’ve seen at any W property).
Now why can’t US W properties be even a tenth this good?
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