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Asif Iqbal
Doha
The hospitality industry in the country is seeing a surge in demand for hotel bookings ahead of the Eid al Adha holidays despite the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar by the Saudi-led bloc.
There's overwhelming response to hotels offering special packages to attract residents to spend time with their families during the festive season.
Serviced apartments too are seeing a rise in demand. Most serviced apartments in the West Bay area have been much in demand due to its proximity to commercial establishments.
"Most of the inquiries we receive are from families who want to spend time away from home. A majority of them ask if the facility has indoor swimming pool to beat the heat," an official of Grosvenor Service Apartments in West Bay told Qatar Tribune.
The official said they are offering a very competitive price as is the case with many hotels in the country. A room can be booked for as low QR375 per night on double occupancy. Asked if the serviced apartments are more attractive than hotels, he said serviced apartments have experienced relatively stable performance levels and seen stronger resilience during tough times when compared to hotels. The serviced apartments' concept continues to evolve and appeal to a wider target audience, he added.
General Manager of Concorde Hotel Mashoor al Refai said,"Earlier during the Eid holidays we had a lot of customers from the neighbouring countries and therefore we could not offer rooms to local residents. But now we are in a position to offer our facilities to residents to have a good time during the Eid holidays."
Refai said this is a good opportunity for residents to experience the best of the hospitality industry in the country.
"We are happy to see the reservations and inquiries about room rates during the Eid al Adha vacations. We are confident that all the rooms will be full by Eid al Adha," he added.
Many families have also booked resorts near the inland sea."This year is different as we have many bookings for desert safari from residents. There have been many inquires for other tourist spots as well," an agent of Qatar International Adventures said.
