QTA Chairman Engineer Issa bin Mohammed Al Muhannadi with representatives of award-wining hotels.
DOHA: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) yesterday honoured six hotels in Qatar with the “Hotel Quality Standards Award” for their excellence in service and product quality.
The winning hotels included Kempinski Residences & Suites Doha Hotel; The St Regis Doha; Oryx Rotana Hotel; W Doha Hotel & Residences; La Cigale Hotel and Wyndham Grand Regency. They received a rating of 90 percent and above in quality rankings.
The award was part of QTA’s “Hotels Quality Rating Program” conducted in collaboration with a specialised international agency. The programme aims at improving the quality of services in the hospitality and tourism industry and creating a national benchmark of local high standards.
QTA Chairman Engineer Issa bin Mohammed Al Muhannadi presented the awards to representatives of the hotels at a ceremony, attended by officials from QTA and the local hospitality industry. The ‘Hotel Quality Rating Program’ evaluated the services and facilities provided by the hotels in Qatar, including rooms, restaurants, reception, health club and others.
The programme was established to raise the level of hospitality facilities and services offered in Qatar to comply with international standards, spread the spirit of competition among hotels and position Qatar as a leading hospitality destination.
“We congratulate the winning hotels on this award that reflects our appreciation of the hospitality industry’s efforts in enhancing the level of services offered in Qatar.
“The award showcases the excellence of the winning hotels and will drive industry players to raise the quality of offerings. We look forward to welcoming new hotels in the upcoming year,” said Al Muhannadi.
The evaluation of the hotels was based on a rating system that evaluated a wide number of criteria including service of pre-arrival, service while on-site, food & beverage, rooms, public areas, business services, leisure facilities, cleanliness, respect of privacy, safety/security and others.
QTA launched the programme this year in association with a specialised international hospitality company to measure the quality of services offered by the hotels in Qatar as compared to industry standards.
The programme employed mystery guests who randomly selected hotels in Qatar and tested their services and facilities during a two- or three-day stay.
From the booking process on through the stay, guests assessed the level of the services and the facilities of the hotel in addition to the staff’s ability to resolve fabricated problems.
Guests then completed a full technical report evaluating the hotel and its services for final rankings.
QTA is working on a number of initiatives that will contribute to the growth and development of the tourism industry and position Qatar as a destination that attracts businessmen and tourists.
The newly launched upgraded website provides tourists and those planning a trip easy access to all of the information needed about Qatar.
The Peninsula
