On my way back from Vietnam, I had a stop-over in Doha. I arrived early afternoon and my connecting flight only left the next morning at 8:30 AM. This was a good opportunity to see a little bit of Doha and check out the Park Hyatt Doha which opened in 2019. When I booked the room using the Hyatt App, I noticed I could book the Diplomat Suite for less than $200 plus 9,000 Hyatt points. The Diplomat Suite is 250 square meters and comes with a huge balcony. I don’t think I ever got a 250 square meters suite with a balcony spanning one complete side of the building. So I decided to book the Diplomat Suite and find out whether size is everything!
Location
The Park Hyatt Doha is conveniently located in Msheieb Downtown Doha, 15 minutes from the International Airport. The Msheieb area is a redeveloped area of the Mushayrib district and the new, modern style successfully blends in with the more traditional style of Doha, particularly the Souq Waif, which is a short walk from the hotel.
First impression Park Hyatt Doha
In the middle of the Msheieb area sits the Park Hyatt Doha. It’s the highest building of the area and cannot be missed. After the luggage is quickly scanned, check-in takes place at the 3rd floor. First impressions are positive. The reception area feels welcome and has the Park Hyatt feel of understated luxury mixed with local art.
Breakfast is only served starting at 7AM. I indicated that I wasn’t able to enjoy the breakfast the next day because of my early flight. In these cases, I’m very often offered a take-away breakfast box, but I never had a breakfast box which was actually worth taking away… In this case though, I could actually specify what I would like to have in my breakfast box. I ordered some fruit, croissants, pain au chocolat, orange juice and cappuccino, to be delivered at 5:30AM next morning in my room. Would this breakfast box be a good compromise for missing breakfast? With breakfast arrangements taken care of, check-in was completed and it was time to head up to the Diplomat Suite.
The Diplomat Suite
The Diplomat Suite for sure is big! The living room is substantial, and so is the bathroom. I think the bathroom probably worked out the best; nice materials, a TV placed above the free standing bath, big shower, double vanity and nice materials.
The balcony is less impressive. Sure, it’s huge but it looks a bit sad and the dead plant in the middle doesn’t really help. The best view from the balcony comes when you look around the corner where you can see the Souq Waif and the West bay.
In the evening, I visited the Sora Rooftop Japanese restaurant. This is one of 3 restaurants in the Park Hyatt Doha and it also offers outside dining. This has the same size balcony as the Diplomat suite but then on the other side of the building – with much better views! Luckily it did cool down a bit so I decided to do the outdoor dining – also because there was nobody inside and inside didn’t look very inspiring… I ordered Sushi, Chicken Yakitori and the Australian Wagyu Beef. While the Beef was excellent, the sushi was average and the Chicken Yakitori was below par – it was also served cold. I didn’t have to pay for the Chicken Yakitori though after the restaurant manager noticed I only took one piece.
Even though the food – despite the steep prices – wasn’t spectacular – the views were, especially with the sun going down.
Other notable mentions
The Park Hyatt Doha also has a Spa (separate for men and women) as well as a swimming pool. But the swimming pool is – like the balcony of the Diplomat Suite – a sad place. I’m not sure what they were thinking, cramping in a pool in this small, sad place. I felt sorry for the life guard who was standing there, completely alone. When I came in, I’m sure he thought that there was finally someone coming to take a swim. But I just took a picture and left…
And what about the breakfast box? Well, at exactly 5:30 AM the next morning, the breakfast box was delivered and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, this was the best breakfast box I had ever received! A good, fresh selection of fruit, fresh orange juice, good cappuccino and excellent croissants. Just what I needed at 5:30AM!
Conclusion
Park Hyatt for me is the gold standard in hotels. It’s my favorite brand and one of the reasons for that is that the overall standard is so high. Service should be immaculate, restaurants should be off the highest standard, and the hotels should give you the welcoming feeling of having your own luxury apartment in the best location of the city. While the Park Hyatt Doha certainly delivered in some areas – location, service, suite bathroom & living room – in other areas it couldn’t convince. Even the huge size of the balcony couldn’t compensate for that.
Two of my favorite Park Hyatt hotels, are the Park Hyatt Zurich and the Park Hyatt Chicago. Please read my reviews of these hotels in the link!
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