Guy Hutchinson
Rotana, a major hotel management company, aims to strengthen its already strong presence in Qatar’s hospitality sector with two properties in the pipeline.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Rotana Hotels 2017 GCC Roadshow, Chief Operating Officer Guy Hutchinson said that the fourth quarter of 2018 will witness the opening of ‘Downtown Arjaan by Rotana, Doha’, followed by the company’s first property in Qatar under its ‘Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts’ brand – the ‘Plaza Rayhaan by Rotana, Doha’ which will be unveiled in the fourth quarter of 2019.
These projects entail a total investment of $250m. The new properties will add 765 rooms to the company’s existing inventory of 1,510 rooms in Qatar, bringing the total tally to 2,275 keys.
Rotana already operates a portfolio of four properties in Qatar including two five-star hotels – City Centre Rotana and Oryx Rotana. Other existing Rotana properties in the country include Centro Capital Doha and Sedra Residences by Rotana.
“Rotana is committed to contributing to the national economic vision of Qatar, which remains a crucial market in our strategic ambitions for the region,” said Hutchinson.
“The months leading up to 2017 were characterised by economic headwinds caused by regional and global trends which slowed growth for the hospitality industry. Despite challenges, Qatar’s commitment to usher in a new wave of growth outside the realm of hydrocarbon trade is a visionary quest that will benefit the tourism and hospitality sector in the long run,” he said.
“With the 2022 FIFA World Cup drawing ever closer, and with the development of a state-of-the-art tourism infrastructure remaining a vital plank in Qatar’s diversification strategy, we expect to see an increase in tourist numbers in the coming years,” added Hutchinson.
