Review: Park Hyatt Doha, Qatar

I had a pretty similar experience in terms of service when I stayed in Feb although the front desk was pretty proactive about the Prive upgrade. They checked me into a standard room but then called about an hour later to move me. Same issue with room service- had to call the front desk to apply Prive credit with the attendant listening to the call on speaker. I had asked for in room breakfast from Opus at 6am but had not arrived by 6:15 thus just left for the airport. But getting an uber was fine; there was construction so roads were confusing but they just pulled up to the corner

Thanks for this review. While the rooms look nice to me and a step above most Grand’s, the rest of your experience sounds dismal. I mean, how can they not have worked out with Uber to get cars there after all this time? That’s a pretty important process and worth a GM attempting to remedy. No doubt the Mandarin is much nicer overall given your experience.

You should have taken the Metro to/from the airport, just for a different experience if anything!

As a Doha resident I’ve heard good things about the Sora restaurant. Planning on trying it out soon!

The new St Regis on the Pearl will be opening soon. Hopefully your planning on checking that out in the near future!

In my experience, many of the regular staff at upscale hotels in the Middle East take off around Ramadan and Eid, so it is possible you had the second-string crew, which might explain some of the service gaps.

And as for the decor of the hotel, it's funny ... I don't know what "typical Park Hyatt" is in your mind, but kind of bland and modern is what I think of? This seems pretty on the mark for me. I don't mind Park Hyatts but I've definitely never thought they stood out from an interior design perspective.

Most boring city I have ever been, hosting WC there is ridiculous.

That's definitely a lot of service friction. The Uber thing definitely would have pissed me off.

Qatar bought the WC

Stayed at a Westin in Guadalajara that's across the street from the convention center a few years ago and every time you tried to get an Uber it would autocorrect to the other side of the convention center, whether you tried the hotel name or address. So we just took to putting in the Hilton next door and flagging them down before they pulled into the Hilton.

Lucky did you know you can get tests from emed that you can bring with you for about $25 each you take the taste on video and the US accepts it for arrival. So much easier than arranging each place. Just carry them on as they can't get too hot.

Regarding the Uber pick up, you guys are aware that you can pinpoint exactly where you want to be picked up on the map instead of using an address or hotel name right?

The room did not look that bad to me on the pictures, I would still think it looks more luxurious than a nice Regency (again based on pictured). But the ruining factor is that damn awful carpet. If they had a more neutral/subdued flooring, it would have worked so much better, but that carpet pattern does indeed look like it belongs at a Regency or a regular Hyatt.

Thanks just ordered some for our group trip next month! Way easier than finding some place and scheduling our last day around taking a worthless test.

I stayed there not long after it opened and a few things I remember were that it was hard to even look at the view from the suite because the furniture placement is so odd, the lifts are extremely annoying if you’re going in and out a lot (the spa lifts are even worse) and the pool felt dirty. Very strange for a Park Hyatt.

Another +1 for the metro option. The Park Hyatt is about a block from the Msheireb staiton and will be a one-seat metro ride to the airport. Much better than waiting for a car.

While I love your reviews, I’ve come to find your star ratings pretty unhelpful. Can you either get rid of them of stop the grade inflation? No hotel stay where every single interaction is a chore deserves 3.5 stars.

From this and quite a few other reviews, I can only conclude that you feel guilty about giving numerical ratings that fairly reflect the experiences you describe.

if you lived in Qatar, you would know why your visit was not desirable. Usually even the five star hotels in Doha recruit from second tier places in many developing countries, including their duty managers. GM is usually different but I have encountered so many lousy duty managers throughout the city, including PH, W, St Regis etc. Particularly, PH is really bad when it comes to hiring. Because of the pandemic many people became jobless in hotel industry so hotels managers in Doha started reducing the staff salary significantly, making their life a hell. On top of that, the duty managers treat them so badly even in front of customers because they just don't know a thing about five star hotel service yet work there. When I stayed there (quite some time after they opened) I really wanted to give a try to the japanese restaurant. It has a really nice setup on top of the hotel but the manager of the restaurant was just a nasty person, who would treat their waiter so badly in front of us multiple times. Yes, I liked their view and the kind waiter so much so that I would have a drink after work at least a few times a week while I was there. but it was hard to watch. Either way, I had some friends in the industry and asked about the salary there and I couldnt believe myself...Now you know why these staff cannot deliver anything five star...Just don't blame them, they are trying hard not to lose their job and have their idea of good service but they don't have the experience. When they are told they cannot charge for the room, they just follow it because the manager said so. They would never understand why this is a problem because they are simplying following the order. Or in their mind, one can just cheat because that is so common in their home country and they don't want to have an issue at work, particularly related to money because it is taken from their tiny salary. They don't care about what you experience but they do care about their job. So not obeying what is been told is a big no no no for them and they don't even think about it. Also, things just don't work in Qatar as they should so if they see those incidences, they just don't get surpised because it is normal to them. This is about Uber or covid test. Qatar used to restrict where you can get travel covid tests in the past (Ministry would publish a list of hospitals regularly) so that is why they didn't even think about it. Anyway, I could order uber all the time from the main road outside of the main entrance, so I am not sure if there was a change...

I agree. Thought this was a 3-star rating AT BEST.

I wonder if the review might have been a bit more forgiving had there not been an issue during check-in...

Nice to see they have a Zaatar w Zeit branch in Souq Waqif. They have a delicious bacon and halloumi wrap (though I wonder what how the hallal (beef) bacon version would taste).

So did you have a credit card authorisation? Otherwise it is understandable you cannot charge to the room. Also it is pretty funny to downgrade the hotel for the testing (this is local regulation in Qatar, to test at hospitals and not have this happen 'at home') and Uber issues (you can just drag the GPS pin to the pickup location).

Now the hotel is actually a tad overrated, with weird entrance, annoying elevators and a tiny pool. But half the 'issues' mentioned in the article are unrelated to the hotel...

"Maybe I was just unlucky and had a bad experience, but ultimately that’s all I can judge the hotel off of."

You weren't unlucky. Doha is one of my favorite cities in the world but this has been my experience several times over at several hotels. I used to love DOH but this type of service has even permeated the airport. I always feel like the right intent is there (or at least the impression to accomplish something?) but whatever I'm requesting wasn't covered in training so the person is now lost and doesn't know who to ask.

Yes this! Was so easy. Absolutely worth it.

I've lived in Doha....going there is not desirable.

The problem is not that you can't be tested at home/hotel, it's that the information should be accurate and consistent.

We stayed there in April as well. Booked the Executive Suite via Hyatt as I have Globalist status. The stay was short as we were also on our way back to the US from the Maldives.

The service while there was good. However, I got an email from the hotel after arriving home asking me if I had "mistakenly" taken their Bose Bluetooth speaker as they couldn't find it in the suite. The pic that they sent was that of a large speaker that would need a large suitcase. I don't know how to interpret it other than the fact that I would travel basically half way around the world to "steal" a used Bluetooth speaker. I would literally need to buy a suitcase to take this thing home!

I called and emailed Hyatt regarding the situation and actually had a good conversation with the GM Mr. Saad. At the end of the day, not sure that I would return as I never been treated this way at any Park Hyatt ever.

I’m currently at Park Hyatt Doha and they are now offering iced coffee in breakfast! Uber problem is also fixed now so it has been smooth getting one within a few minutes for my few days here.

A little bit harsh Ben. At this rate with a credit it’s huge value. You were not paying $2k a night….

Not harsh when you have issues at every turn. A credit is no use if you have staff unwilling to accept it, as with the room service. If anything Ben's being generous here. Very weak offering for potentially $2k per night stays.

As a Globalist, I just had an amazing stay at the Park Hyatt Doha for one night (as I had a 16 hour layover). The team was exceedingly friendly and proactively upgraded me to a suite. Since my departure was before breakfast was open, they also proactively offered a “bag breakfast.” When I received it, it included coffee, fresh orange juice, a box of pastries, a box of fresh fruit, and a sandwich. It exceeded all expectations of a bag breakfast — and was very thoughtful as an option for us.

I’m glad to see that any Globalist hiccups were well resolved by our visit.

Looks like the Park Hyatt Doha is back to playing games. Now the Park Suite is listed as a "Premium Suite", and there is not a single room or suite listed as a Standard Suite. Good luck getting any upgrades.

I just stayed there this weekend and was upgraded to the suite without having to request it. loved it!

I am a big supporter of Hyatt and although i mostly stay in Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatts (the lounge is important for me), I have stayed in various Park Hyatt all over the worls. I have to say that my experienxlce at the Park Hyatt Doha was super nice... the staff were very helpful, super polite and the typical Park Hatt attention to detail was there for sure. The food was great and loved the room. Overall i was very happy with everything. The location is great as well. They made me feel like home...

I was very impressed with the Front office manager who picked up upon checkout that I am staying at the Hyatt Andaz Delhi after a couple of days. To my surprise the there was an additional welcome note from the Doha Park Hyatt... that made ny day.

By the way, the Andaz Delhi is one of my favorite hotels too.. they really know how to spoil Hyatt Globalists.. thank you PH Doha and Andaz Delhi. Paul