A New 5* Hotel Is To Be Opened In Doha In November

[IMG=20756-6525]Sharq Village & Spa is to be opened in Doha in November. It will become the 7th 5* hotel and the 12th hotel of 4-5* category in the capital of Qatar where there is a shortage of hotels. Thus, Marina Nasonova, Director of Oreanda Travel, commented as follows: ‘Qatar is in low demand owing shortage of hotels there. We send only a few tourists per year to the country. Usually people stay in Doha on their way to Maldives and Seychelles’. Meanwhile, interest of Russian tourists in Arab countries is growing that is becoming a problem for the UAE – a mass-market Arab destination – in high season when the demand exceeds supply that engenders increase of accommodation rates. Anton Tarasyuk, the Head of the UAE Department of Intravel Stoleshniki, said: ‘Accommodation is always a problem in the Emirates in high season. At least there is no resale; therefore there are only two variants: there are rooms or there are no rooms’. In such a situation Qatar is a good alternative for the Emirates. ‘In the country with high living standards, stable situation and dynamically developing infrastructure accommodation rates are 20-30% lower than in the UAE. Moreover, they build hotels in view of supply exceeding demand. That means Qatar might not lose its attractiveness’, believes Vladimir Eltsov, Director of De Luxe Travel. Furthermore, comparing to Emirates exotic Qatar is less urbanized. Meanwhile, opening of Sharq Village & Spa will not solve the problem of shortage of hotel base in Doha – it will have only 174 rooms. However, it is the second hotel built in 2006. Thus, in May Four Seasons Hotel with 232 rooms was opened in the city. Following such a tempo Qatar will be a good alternative for the UAE, and easily compete with Oman and Bahrein.