Hotel News ME takes a look at Katara Hospitality’s latest opening, The Avenue Doha. Sofia Soltani caught up with Shadi Kassem, general manager…
Shadi Kessem
Since opening how well has the hotel been performing?
As we are still in the soft opening stage, we are building on our sales and marketing strategies whilst considering the competition of the area as well as across Doha. We are confident that in the beginning of 2017 we will gain more prominence in the area to secure our share of the business in Qatar.
What are some of defining feature of the property and how does The Avenue stand out?
The Avenue is home to some the tastiest dining hot-spots in Doha. With a mouth-watering mix of local and international cuisines ranging from internationally acclaimed Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Yellow Chili Restaurant, international cuisine in Brasserie Baaya, healthy contemporary cuisine in Nektaar roof-top terrace to our home-grown modern Qatari Cuisine in WeCafe. WeCafe, a modern Qatari concept cuisine is led by a team of young and creative Qatari nationals using Qatari culinary heritage as their inspiration. WeCafe is on a mission to introduce marveled varieties and unique flavours of Qatar to guests and visitors alike.
The Avenue is also home to the world renowned Six Senses Spa and features five treatment rooms, female and male hammams alongside a consultation room and nail bar.
What are some of the current trends being seen within the hospitality industry in Qatar?
As Qatar aims to strengthen its development in terms of travel and tourism, the National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 has identified several key areas that the country should focus on such as business tourism. Visitors come to the country to participate in expositions, shows, conferences which is why we are also aiming to tap into this market.
How are you capitalising on these trends?
We will continue to focus on business travellers as we reinforce our functional meeting spaces and rooms. The MICE segment in Qatar is without a doubt growing. With more than 150 business conferences hosted every year, Qatar has positioned itself in the global map as a destination for MICE travellers. In 2014, Doha hosted 22 significant international meetings, more than Luxembourg and the same number as Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt and The Hague, and was ranked 108th of cities globally by the International Congress and Convention Association.
What do you anticipate to see within the industry in 2017?
As more hotels open in the region, it’ll become even more important to work on standing out. Whether this be through weekend deals, social media or engaging in repeat business, it’ll be interesting to see how the market adjusts to supply and demand woes. I no doubt believe that there is plenty of business to go around and that the market in Doha will continue to flourish at an unprecedented rate.
