(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The Peninsula
In an interview with Rajiv Tarcar, General Manager of Ibis and Adagio Doha, he provides an overview of the growing demand for midscale hotels in Qatar. He also provides an insight into Qatar's first Ibis & Adagio Combo property. Ibis and Adagio Doha is located in the heart of Doha Downtown on C-ring road, perfectly nestled between the popular localities of Al Sadd and Msheireb. This hotel complex offers two fantastic hotel brands, Ibis and Adagio with a room inventory of 306 keys and multiple food and beverage outlets. Other facilities include swimming pool, gym, meeting rooms, and a function hall for up to 100 guests.
Q. How is Ibis and Adagio Doha meeting the evolving needs of the modern traveller?
A: The modern traveller has a savvy mindset and focuses on 3 key factors: location, quality and price. Location is our biggest USP. We are Doha's first multi-branded hotel complex offering two brands. The combo aspect brings us great economies of scale and helps us cater to a larger audience, thus driving a higher occupancy and top-line revenues. It also offers the choice of staying in a modern and designfocused hotel room in Ibis or choosing Adagio as an aparthotel with more space and amenities. Guests booking rooms or spending on food and beverage in the hotel can earn loyalty points under the Accor Live Limitless i.e. ALL loyalty programme. These loyalty points can be redeemed for a free stay and upgrade your loyalty status to unlock more discounts. Only handful of midscale & economy hotels or aparthotels in Doha are part of a loyalty programme with a global outreach, so this acts as another valuable benefit for our guests.
Q. Why is the growth in leisure demand directly benefitting economy and midscale hotels?
A: After the pandemic, people are craving leisure travel and want to explore new destinations. The visitor numbers from the GCC, South East Asia, Eastern Europe and also from China, Russia and countries from the CIS region like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are growing. A significant number of travellers from these markets are from the growing middle-class and focused on value for money. A globally popular brand in midscale e.g. Ibis is known to offer a high-quality product at an affordable price. Direct bookers and tour operators not only review the price of the room, but also the price of meals and other services. Hence, this surge in leisure demand has resulted in midscale hotels getting their fair share.
Q. According to you, which other segments are experiencing growth and aiding the development of tourism in Qatar?
A. Qatar has also seen a growing demand in MICE and corporate travel, which is sustainable and growing each year. The increase in number of destination weddings in Doha is also having a trickledown effect driving room nights into economy hotels. Following the World Cup in 2022, several international events have entered Qatar's event calendar in 2023 and 2024. The recent expansion of Hamad International Airport is another strategic step that has helped the Tourism industry. The increase in newer airline carriers adding Doha to their list of destinations, and Qatar Airways increasing its global network has also helped increase visitor number. Several passengers on Qatar Airways are booking a 1 or 2-night stopover in Doha when travelling on long-haul flights, adding another destination to their travel itinerary.
Q. What are your views on growth driven by GCC nationals and mainly neighbouring countries like Saudi Arabia?
A: GCC nationals have a flair for driving and the road infrastructure in this region is very good. Doha is within a 6-hour drive from key cities like Al Hofuf, Riyadh, Dammam, Al Khobar, Manama and Abu Dhabi. Doha's air connectivity with all GCC cities is excellent with most flight times being 60-90 minutes. Over the last 5 years, there are a number of low-cost carriers also operating from Muscat, Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah. The cities surrounding Doha have a considerable concentration of expatriates also looking to explore Qatar as a destination and having their friends and family here. The Unified GCC Tourist Visa, expected to be in place by late 2024 will bring a further increase in demand, and more so for midscale and economy hotels mainly due to their affordability and city centre locations.
Q. Why is there a growing demand for Staycations in city hotels?
A: The Staycation is a global trend which saw a boom during the pandemic. However, Staycations are still in high demand in the GCC market. In Qatar, there are over half million expats living with their family, and looking for an affordable hotel for a weekend staycation. Their budget for a family staycation is approximately $130-150 (QR 500-550) including breakfast, lunch and dinner. On weekends and during holidays, we have seen a large demand for staycation. These guests are usually celebrating their birthday or anniversary with a 1 or 2-night stay in the hotel, sometimes with 4-5 rooms booked as a group of friends and family. Ibis Doha with its popularity and price-point is a very popular choice for Staycations. We also have partnership with a Private Beach Club in West Bay, and our resident guests can access this private beach club as part of their stay for a small surcharge.
Q. Can you tell us more about Adagio Aparthotel?
A: Adagio Aparthotel is a premium aparthotel brand focusing mainly on medium-term or long-stay guests. In Adagio, we offer studios, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments with all modern amenities including a fully equipped kitchen, fridge-freezer, washing machine and dryer. These serviced apartments can be booked on daily rates or monthly rates. Adagio is a very popular aparthotel brand in Europe with locations in like Paris, Geneva, Rome, London and has also opened Aparthotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Casablanca and now in Doha.
Q. What are the forthcoming plans for Ibis and Adagio Doha?
A: Marketing is a big focus for us in 2024. Since the opening, we have been working closely with Qatar Tourism to promote the destination to newer markets with our goal to increase visitor numbers to Qatar.
In terms of our F&B portfolio, we are working on a new bar concept due to open in Q4 2024 to provide more options to our residents and drive more community revenue from non-residents.
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