Oryx Rotana officials, who won the most awards, during the Qatar Choice Awards at Al Gassar Resort.
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: W Doha Hotel bested 13 of the leading hotels nominated to bag the coveted Favourite Hotel award at the first Qatar Choice Awards in a glittering ceremony that was likened to the Oscars of Qatar’s hospitality sector, on Wednesday night at Al Gassar Resort.
Two of its renowned restaurants Market by Jean-Georges and Spice Market also won Favourite Restaurant and Favourite Asian Concept respectively.
Oryx Rotana, on the other hand, reaped the richest haul of awards for the night winning five of the 26 categories including Favourite Concept Venue (The Cellar), Favourite Nightlife (Jazz Club), Favourite Brunch (Choices), Favourite Chef (Rainer Mueller) and Favourite GM (Kevork Deldelian).
In a rare occasion, the crème de la crème of Qatar’s thriving hospitality sector converged for one night of high class entertainment that bestowed due recognition to the best in the industry based on the people’s votes.
Four Seasons Hotel Doha won three awards including Favourite Spa, Favourite Ambience and Favourite Individual in Hospitality Industry (Luke Noble), while The Ritz-Carlton Doha was awarded Favourite Ramadan Tent and Best Lounge for The Admiral’s Club.
The winners also included Sealine Beach Resort for Favourite Day Ambience and Favourite Private Beach Front, Al Mourjan for Best Arabic Restaurant and Favourite View. Favourite Hosted Event Space was Katara and two food outlets located in the village also bagged awards which are Red Velvet Cupcakes (Favourite Delicatessen) and Mamig (Favourite Casual Stand Alone Restaurant).
Completing the list of winners were: Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (Favourite Live Music Entertainment), Intercontinental Doha’s The Bay Club (Favourite Fitness Centre), Intercontinental Doha The City’s Strata (Favourite Newcomer Restaurant), Renaissance Doha City Centre (Favourite Newcomer Hotel), Roger Choueiry of La Cigale Hotel (Favourite DJ) and Cirque Du Soleil (Favourite Event in 2012).
Qatar Choice Awards have been hailed by many for utilising the voting power of the public instead of a electing a panel to choose the awardees, illustrating how large a shift the public voting platform has led to in the industry.
Moona Whitice, Executive Director at Qatar Happening Events magazine and Abode Qatar lifestyle magazine, said the Awards aimed at harnessing the voting power of the residents of Qatar and bringing together the major players in the industry to recognise their excellence in providing products and services to the public.
Among 181 nominees across 26 categories with over a total of 12,166 votes cast during the voting period, the Qatar Choice Awards’ first public foray was seen as a success- both by the industry and the general public.
Hosted by Steven Keith Tart, the awards night was filled with entertainment top billed by Doha-based concert pianist and EMI Classics recording artist Vincent Corver, who is soon to release a music video shot in Qatar. Other artistes who featured at the event included Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra violinist Patrizia Doringer and Doha Jazz.
An After Show Party at Al Gassar Resort’s breathtaking Pool Area featuring live music acts added verve to the already vibrant night of beautiful dresses and tuxedos.
Qatar Choice Awards was organised by Qatar Happening along with ILoveQatar.net and Diyafa 2012.
The Peninsula
