Qatar's Salwa Beach to Get Hilton Resort

Qatar's hotel scene keeps growing, and growing more international: Hilton Worldwide recently announced plans with local investors Al-Rayyan Hospitality to develop a new Hilton Hotels & Resorts property at Salwa Beach. No word yet on how many stars the hotel is aiming to have (or when it will open), but from what we've heard, it will have plenty of upscale elements to recommend it.

The Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas, Qatar is expected to be the largest of its kind in the Middle East and a first for Qatar. It will cover a full 257 acres of land and coastline in the southwest corner of the country, and will have a waterpark, a luxury marina and yacht club, a dive centre, cinemas, premier retail shopping and numerous restaurants. (Good to know: The resort will be about 60 miles from the capital city of Doha.) 

The Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas, Qatar

The hotel will have 246 rooms in the main hotel building, including 35 suites. Top digs in the main building, though, will be the 10,000-square-foot presidential suites. 

If 10,000 square feet isn't enough, there are other options: Both sides of the building will have "villages" of family villas--a nice touch for those who need a bit more room. We hear that one village of 32 one- and two-bedroom suites will have Arabic architecture and the second village will comprise 84 larger villas of up to five bedrooms. 

We hear the hotel will have a health club & spa, several outdoor pools, more than 37,000 square feet of meeting and event space and 13 restaurants, bars and lounges.  

Why Qatar?

According to Ernst & Young's (EY) latest Rapid-Growth Markets (RGM) Forecast report, growth remains robust across the GCC region, with Qatar's economy, in particular, predicted to record the highest increase at 6 percent. The Qatar Tourism Authority is planning to invest almost $20 billion on tourism infrastructure including a new international airport capable of handling 50 million passengers annually, a new long-distance rail network and a city-based metro system to serve residents and visitors to Doha.