I recently travelled to Qatar. Here is this midlifer’s Sheraton Grand Doha Hotel review.
The Background
I stayed for four days in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and stayed all the days at the Sheraton Hotel. The hotel has a grand name of Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel. This was the first time during my almost-three week-long tour of Egypt, Oman and Qatar that I stayed in just one hotel in a city.
We had booked through Marriott’s Bonvoy Points.
The Sheraton Doha is a five-star hotel that was opened in 1982. It is located in the upscale West Bay area and at one end of the Al Corniche – the seaside promenade. The hotel is massive with 371 rooms and is shaped like triangle/pyramid though for me it also looked like a cruise ship.
There are glass-covered elevators/lifts that are located along the main column so that when they go up and down you can have a look at the different floors as well as the majestic lobby.
Check My Video on the Review on Sheraton Grand Doha Hotel
The Room
We had a Deluxe room which came with a king-sized bed. There was a table with snacks and a usual mini refrigerator. The room also had a coffee maker which I used liberally.
It is a split-level room with the King-sized bed and the coffee table on the main level, and two sofas, a writing desk and a wall-mounted TV on the second, living-room level. Both levels are connected by a few stairs.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was luxuriant – with towels, and the amenities kits that included toothbrushes/paste, moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner, soap etc. We usually don’t get them clean every day; only when we feel the room needs tidying up or the bathroom needs fresh supplies and they always complied with our requests.
One feature I noticed was the abundance of gold. The faucets, the knobs and even the towel hanger had gold plating.
Another feature I noticed was that there were no robes.
The deluxe room was with a balcony overlooking the Persian/Arabian Gulf and the hotel’s private beach. It was a cozy little place where one could sit and enjoy a drink while enjoying the dhows ploughing through the calm waters, or the distant and not-so-distant skyscrapers.
The room had sufficient power plugs, and even came with an international charger which I found was a neat arrangement. There was the usual safe, iron and the ironing board etc.
Other Facilities at Sheraton Grand Doha Hotel
Pool & the Beach
The hotel has a gorgeous beach and a pool.
But I never used the pool. The reason being that in a warm country with a beach I prefer the beach. And the beach was so good. The Sheraton Grand has its own private beach. It is a small beach, located within a cove and with the breakwater, the water was calm, almost still water except for the tiny ripples splashing on the shore. And by mid morning the water became warm and by late morning the weather was turning hotter.
Fortunately, the hotel has scores of canopies and they give small ice pouches with iced water.
I spent a few hours two mornings in the beach and enjoyed it tremendously.
Restaurants
The hotel has seven restaurants though I never tried any eat-in in any of them. There were two reasons for not trying them – one, I was already tired from all the eating in Egypt and Oman. And in Qatar, as it was with the last few days in the Oman’s capital Muscat, I wanted to eat mostly South Asian food. As there are thousands of south Asians working in Qatar and they run some of the authentic restaurants. So, my meals were mostly from there, except on the last day when I decided to end the trip with a trip to the contemporary Peruvian specialty restaurant La Mar Doha by Gastón Acurio. This restaurant is located at the Intercontinental Doha (see review of my Qatar Trip).
Final Comments on the Sheraton Grand Doha Hotel
As I mentioned, the room did not provide robes.
I also found the room somewhat lacking in the option of having total darkness in the night. The balcony had lights for which I could not find switches. And the room’s blinds were not totally light proof which meant in the night there was light leaking into the room. Now, it does not affect my sleep but those who expect total darkness might be disappointed.
The hotel had exceptional services. Whenever I put the “no room service needed” notice, they would leave a message asking whether I needed any supplies.
And I have to make a special mention of the bell service.
The bell captain Sujan B welcomed me when I arrived at the hotel and from that time onwards, he and his team ensured I had a great stay at the hotel and in Qatar itself. They helped me get checked in and then one representative accompanied me to the room, explaining all the features and facilities.
Later that day, the bell captain explained how to get to the Corniche and gave also the details of the Hotel Park. Whenever I saw him, he would ask whether I needed something. And one day when I wanted to go to the Katara Cultural Village, they even called to find out the details.
So, thank you Sujan and others for the excellent service.