The Ritz-Carlton, Doha

My husband and I stayed here along with some friends over the weekend for a bit of a staycation after a long work week. We do this every so often at hotels around Doha as a way to relax. This stay would have been a 5-star review except for 2 things: 1. I got stopped at the front door for having a speaker in my bag. The security person told my husband that they don't allow these because they're afraid we'll play music too loudly and disturb the other guests. This is a portable speaker that I like to use during conference calls and play music when I'm getting ready in the morning. Anyway, they eventually let us through with it. But as soon as we got to our room, guess what we saw there.... that's right! A Bluetooth speaker much bigger than the one I brought. So that was weird... 2. They are not allowed to serve alcohol to you while you're sitting in the water at pool bar. You would have to get out of the water to drink your cocktail. I guess it's a new rule but 90% of the reasoning behind why we chose this hotel was because their pool was gorgeous and we thought we'd be able to spend the day in the water with a drink and relax. Other than that, everything was great! The food and drinks in the B-Lounge were excellent as well as STK. The customer service was top notch. I liked how they bring you coolers of ice and water while you're lounging in the pool. The room was one of the best I've stayed in a long time! It was clean with a good view. Literally everything but the 2 things I listed above were fantastic! We will definitely be back for the food but I think we'll go elsewhere for our next staycation.

The real reason for providing a rating of five is that the people who we interacted with were very good and caring. You can feel the sincerity in most of the staff, which is unlike many places that we visit throughout America in Europe. They’re very accommodating and relatively flexible which we appreciate. This hotel is old, but it is definitely relatively well kept and has a standard that anyone could appreciate. The only thing that is problematic is that the lobby and some of the other spaces are filled with cigar smoke, which is very strong.

Another Great weekend at the Ritz Carlton Doha Checking in is always smooth, greeted with a big smile. Thanks to Temurmalik. Nice spacious suite, great breakfast. The staff is very attentive and helpful. Checking out was smooth and pleasant. Mohamed at the counter was quite pleasant. Keep it up team. Best, Muhammad Chishti

We came to this hotel for our honeymoon and were absolutely delighted. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a cake in the room, fresh fruit, and a room decorated with rose petals. The hotel service is top-notch. Housekeeping is constant and everything is very clean. The food is diverse – they serve freshly squeezed juices for breakfast, coffee with alternative milk, and there are gluten-free options. The beach is private, and the water in the bay was very warm. The staff is very attentive and professional. Additionally, manager Carla was incredibly helpful – she recommended places to visit in the city and organized a tea ceremony and another surprise in our room. Thanks to all this, we had an amazing vacation. The hotel is just wow. We will definitely come back

Everyone was friendly and went over and beyond to make our stay rememorable ! Even surprised us with cake, balloons and much more

everything

Amine was the best when it comes to room service! He was polite, nice and very helpful! If he helps you, you know you are good in hands!

Best hotel ave been so far it’s sooo good it even deserves to go to it second time and the breakfast is amazing and delicious and the service is give it 10/10 it’s so good they never done something wrong and the menu is soo great best part is the pool

The service at this hotel was amazing , nothing was too much trouble and greeted every day with a warm smile at the pool with a special mention for Bruce who makes everyone feel relaxed and well taken care of care of ., thank you

We just arrived back home from a week long stay at the Ritz Doha. It came highly recommended and great for families.We've also stayed at many Ritz locations throughout the world with the best experiences. This is the first time we've had a stressful stay at any hotel, especially at a Ritz Hotel. THE GOOD: -We booked a suite and we were granted the following for our infant toddler: bed guards, high chair, mini fridge, microwave. Having an extra fridge and microwave was helpful for our longer stay. They provided baby dish soap, but they said they don't provide the mini baby soaps as other global Ritz Carlton's do. Not a big problem though. -Breakfast is amazing. Really great selection of food with quality preparation and the staff in the morning are really attentive. We looked forward to breakfast everyday. Oddly, they said they didn't have kids cutlery in the beginning of our trip, but provided one later. -Pool options are perfect for families. They have a small kiddy pool with a mini slide and a medium level pool with shallow areas for young children and then an adult deep pool at the end. We swam almost everyday and we enjoyed it. -Select staff members really went out of their way to ask questions and asked if we needed anything additional or how our stay was. Woman who helped us check in was lovely; sadly, I missed her name and I'd love to give her credit. THE BAD & UGLY: -Kids Club: Never in my entire live have I ever had a hotel staff argue with me about her incompetence, her attitude, talking back to me and even eye rolling! We had a very disappointing experience at the Kids Club. We walked in with our young toddler and this staff woman didn't greet us, explain the schedule, didn't explain the process, or the times. She was unhappy from the beginning and I found myself having to ask her for updates, instead of her telling me. It felt like I was working for her and her attitude was distasteful, unprofessional, rude, and entitled. Not only did we wait over 25 minutes (b/c this woman clearly did not explain nor care about her job), she had the audacity to talk back to me and give me lip. NOT OKAY. What was supposed to be a happy moment and activity for us and our child, turned into a high school argument. My husband and I were in shock. Instead of taking accountability, she had the audacity to say things like, "well i don't know what time you came." She rolled her eyes and walked away. I didn't know teenagers were staffed at the Ritz. Incredibly disrespectful. -Concierge: on two occasions, no one was at the concierge desk so I walked to the front desk regarding a question. They then said to go to the concierge desk. I told them no one was there. Finally after walking back and forth with my child (which I shouldn't have to), a young man came out and gave me a very vague answer as to what time a museum opened. "They should open around 10AM." I asked do they open at 9AM or 10AM? His response, "They open at 10AM." As I walked away, I knew his answer wasn't confident. I walked back and asked him to please call and confirm the exact time please. His response: "So i called and b/c of EID, they open at 9AM." He didn't apologize, the didn't take accountability for not checking or calling. No professionalism whatsoever. Had he done his diligence and called to check the time, I wouldn't have to be walking back and forth in the lobby. An inconvenient moment that doesn't have to be. -3 out of 6 nights there was construction on the room below us. On two nights we were awoken at 12AM midnight and our baby also woke up terrified and crying from the loud banging. The hammering/shuffling was so loud it sounded like it was in our room. Why would the Ritz have us stay in a room with construction going on next door?? They knew we had a baby with us as well. We did not pay for a vacation where we can't sleep. Not fun. -Spa: massage was booked for my husband and he arrived early to do paperwork and use the facilities. The staff was frazzled and while he was waiting the entire time, the spa called our room to ask where he was. He was there, checked in, and waiting for someone the entire time. Awkward. -Beach: I wouldn't call it a beach. Not suitable for children. Overall, the bad outweighed the good. We couldn't sleep well and the staff are clearly not experienced. There is a sense of staff entitlement amongst our run-ins with both big and small nuances. The inconveniences proved to be incredibly stressful. I do believe feedback is necessary to help improve, but we were disappointed in our stay. The GM was incredibly kind and dealt with our matters, however, these instances just don't need to happen. We just wanted a relaxing and enjoyable stay. Especially at the Ritz.