INTERNATIONAL: Hilton Worldwide to Open Middle East’s Largest Beach Resort in Qatar

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Hilton Worldwide has partnered with Al-Rayyan Hospitality for the development of a 362-key resort at Salwa Beach in southwest Qatar.

Located approximately 60 miles from the capital city of Doha, the Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas, Qatar will be the centerpiece of the planned 257-acre waterfront resort. Plans also include a waterpark, a luxury marina and yacht club, a dive center, cinemas, as well as a variety of premier retail shopping options and restaurants.

Upon completion, the project will be the largest development of its kind in the Middle East and a first for Qatar.

The resort’s main hotel building will feature 246 deluxe rooms, including 35 elegant suites, two of which will exceed 10,700 square feet.

Furthermore, two small villages of family villas with amazing views of the Arabian Gulf are planned on both sides of the building. One of the villages will feature 32 one- and two- bedroom suites designed to reflect authentic Arabic architecture, while the second one will offer 84 larger, more spacious villas of up to five bedrooms.

Guests will also have access to an approximately 30,000-square-foot health club & spa, several outdoor pools, bars, lounges and more than 37,600 square feet of meeting and event function space.

“We are extremely proud to introduce this landmark property, the biggest resort hotel of its kind in the region and an outstanding addition to our expanding portfolio,”  Rudi Jagersbacher, president of Hilton Worldwide Middle East & Africa, said in a news release. “Today’s signing reflects Hilton Worldwide’s famous pioneering spirit as we set a new benchmark in resort accommodation in Qatar and create a new destination for the Middle East

“We sought an internationally recognized brand to match our strategy to create a best-in-class resort destination with the very best facilities and service.  Hilton Worldwide’s established global credentials makes for a compelling partnership and will help us to deliver a truly exceptional guest experience,” added Mohammed Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, group executive manager of Al Rayyan Hospitality.

Qatar is currently the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas and enjoys the world’s highest income per capita.

In its latest Rapid-Growth Markets Forecast report, Ernst & Young predicts that the state’s economy will continue to grow, reaching a 6 percent increase, the highest across the GCC region. As part of its strategy to diversify the country’s economy however, the Qatar Tourism Authority plans to improve the tourism infrastructure. Plans call for a new international airport with a capacity of handling 50 million passengers annually, a new long-distance rail network, as well as a new metro system in Doha.