Anantara Doha Island Resort and Spa is Minor Hotels’ first hotel in Qatar.

The 141-room Anantara Doha Island Resort and Spa is set to open just off the coast of Doha in 2014.
 
The venture sees Minor Hotel Group partner with the Qatari owned company Al Rayyan Hospitality for its first property in the country.
 
Located on a 13 hectare island, the new resort will be accessible by speedboat from Doha’s downtown area and from The Pearl.
 
With a total of 141 rooms, the 96 guest rooms, 34 pool villas and 11 two- and three-bedroom over-water pool villas will offer guests a wide choice of room types in which to spend their break. There will be four restaurants and bars, including a contemporary Japanese restaurant and an Arabic beach club. A total of four pools will be spread throughout the resort’s lush grounds. The hotel will carry the signature Anantara Spa and an extensive Wellness and Holistic Centre, plus a 24-hour fitness centre and tennis court. The island will also be home to a marina accommodating up to 50 boats.
 
A kids club, a dedicated family beach with access to beach volleyball and water sports, a nine-hole golf putting course, a ten-pin bowling alley and a cinema also make up the collection. An off-shore reef is also being developed and the resort will be home to a reef conservation centre, giving guests the opportunity to plant their own coral and learn more about the underwater environment. In addition there will be a fully equipped diving centre.
 
Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group, commented, “We are very excited to announce this new resort in Qatar in partnership with Al Rayyan Hospitality, who we are already successfully working with in the city of Doha with our Anantara Spa at the recently opened Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels. The Middle East is a key strategic area of development for Minor Hotel Group and we are actively looking at opportunities to grow not only Anantara but also our AVANI and Oaks brands in the region as well.”
 
When the new resort opens early next year, Qatar will be the second country of operation for Minor Hotel Group in the Middle East. The group currently has five properties currently in operation in the UAE – three Anantara properties in Abu Dhabi and two Oaks serviced suites, one in Dubai and one recently added in Abu Dhabi, with three further Anantara properties under development to open in the UAE this year – two villa properties on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and the group’s first resort in Dubai. In addition, 2014 will see the group opening in neighbouring Oman.
 
Mohammed Al Qahtani, president Al Rayyan Hospitality, commented, “Anantara Doha Island Resort & Spa is going to be a truly unique concept for tourists to Qatar, as well as residents of the country. With Qatar quickly becoming a tourist hub for both business and leisure travellers, there is an escalating need for hospitality concepts that stand apart. As the group behind the success of Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels, now a popular option for stays, dining outlets and entertainment, we are committed to offering the same world-class service that is characteristic of Al Rayyan Hospitality at this brand new upcoming island destination. We are thrilled to once again partner with Minor Hotel Group on a venture that we are confident will be more than welcome in Doha.”
 
Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/17128-anantara-doha-island-resort-to-launch-in-2014/#.UYjqGKLqiZF