Oberoi Group inks deal to manage two luxury hotels in Qatar

India-based hospitality firm The Oberoi Group has signed contracts to manage two luxury hotels in Qatar.

The hotelier will manage a 250-key luxury hotel in the West Bay area of Doha and a 148-key luxury serviced apartment complex in the Lusail area of Doha, a statement said.

Planning for both projects are underway and construction is scheduled to begin early next year. The hotels are slated to open by mid-2018.

Both hotels are being developed by Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company, the statement added. The value of the contracts was not disclosed.

The deal marks Oberoi’s entry into the Doha market while also expanding its presence in the Gulf. The group already operates a 252-room luxury hotel in Dubai and is scheduled to open another luxury resort in Ajman during the second quarter of 2016.

Qatar has been seeing its hotel pipeline grow as hoteliers flock in, anticipating a visitor boom ahead of and during the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Around 20 new hotels and hotel apartments are slated to open this year alone, officials say.

According to Qatar Tourism Authority, the new facilities will add around 4,000 new rooms to the country’s existing stock of 16,000 rooms.

A number of new players have also entered the market. Earlier this year, Spanish firm Melia Hotels International opened its first property Melia Doha in the city’s West Bay area while Mondrian Doha is also set to open its first property this year.

QTA predicted that over 80 hotels and hotel apartments are expected to open in Qatar over the next five years.