Passengers transiting through Hamad International Airport in Qatar’s capital can choose to leave the airport and join a free tour of some of the capital’s most famous attractions, including Souq Waqif and the Golden Masjid.
But others can opt to book a room at the Oryx, a Qatar Airlines-owned hotel conveniently located near the C,D, and E gates.
As a swanky hotel in a swanky airport that regularly ranks at the top of the annual Skytrax list of the world’s best, it’s no stretch to say this could be one of the planet’s most luxurious transit hotels.
If you can locate it.
Because the oryx – a kind of antelope native to the Middle East – is the logo of Qatar Airways, the name is in use all over the airport, sometimes to confusing effect.
Case in point: The Oryx lounge is just one floor (second) below the Oryx hotel (third), which means that a staff member is employed to hang out in the hotel lobby to run interference for lost travelers.
To check in, passengers will need to show their passport and boarding pass. Doha is a “quiet airport,” which means that there are no oral announcements about boarding gates and passengers are expected to use screens or phone apps to figure out where to go. They’ll also have to part with upwards of about US$450 per stay – significantly more expensive than a typical night’s accommodation in Doha.
Front desk staff at the hotel are efficient and helpful. As only transit passengers are staying there, reception will double and triple-check passengers’ itineraries and offer a wake-up call to make sure they’re awake in time to make their next flight.
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