After spending a great time at the arrivals lounges (Al Maha and Qatar Airways), it was time for me to head off downtown and have a quick rest at Holiday Inn Doha. I had around 9 hours before my connecting flight to Seoul depart so I decided to exit the airport and have dinner with Mrs. White.
While I don’t usually book a day room during my transit, I did not want to get stuck in the crowded lounge at the airport either. It is a very short stay so I will be quickly reviewing the room I have stayed in. For other facilities and dining, I will review my next stay here.
Holiday Inn Doha – The Business Park Location
There were numerous hotels situated near Doha Hamad International Airport but I did not want to either spend or redeem points for a 6 hours stay. So after some time researching, I booked Holiday Inn Doha, which was located about 15 minutes by car.
Holiday Inn Doha is located in the business park complex along with its partner IHG hotel Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business park. This area has a mixture of office spaces and hotels residing so it is mainly targeted at business travelers.
Holiday Inn Doha – The Business Park Check-In
As I got to the hotel, it was already 8 PM and I had only 5 hours to get back to the airport, I quickly went to the check-in counter for the formalities. Since the time was already late for the check-in, the reception was empty and I was able to get my room key in a few minutes time.
Holiday Inn Doha – The Business Park 2 Single Beds Standard Room
Since I made a last-minute Points + Cash redemption, there was only 2 single bedroom available and the hotel was a nearly full house. Without any options, I redeemed 9,000 IHG One Rewards points and US$30 to stay for 5 hours.
It was a little waste to spend that much of points when I could actually stay until the next afternoon, thanks to my IHG elite status, but at least I was able to relax in my own private room before my next flight to Seoul.
Room 216 I was assigned is located on the second floor. The hotel only has 7 floors and 307 guest rooms so it is not a large hotel. This is probably due to the existing Crowne Plaza hotel which is in the same complex.
The standard room with 2 single beds features a 29sqm or 312sqft size which is a standard dimension but the room looked much larger in reality due to the layout. Based on the floor plan, I can see there are around 47 standard rooms on lower levels and some suites on higher floors.
As I enter the room, there is a bathroom on the right-hand side and a closet beside the bathroom entry. Each room offers an ironing kit a bath gown and laundry services. I have used the laundry services in the past and in terms of rate and time taken, I was satisfied with the service.
The room also has a large bathroom with a bathtub, a separate bidet and a toilet side-by-side opposite the bathtub. Basic amenities were provided but if you need extra, you have to call housekeeping.
The bathtub is wide and fits two people facing side by side. Generally, I have not seen a bathtub as large as this on other Holiday Inn properties. The shower amenities provided were from SOAKskin, a brand from Australia. I find the products really soothing and less sensitive.
On the corner of the room facing the wall, a long table plus an oval work desk is placed. There are two different types of chairs in the room: an armchair with back support and a desk chair. I am still confused about the purpose of placing two different chairs in the room as it does not match up with the other furniture.
Plenty of lights are surrounding the work desk with a desk lamp and lighting right above the table. The hotel also offers two large complimentary mineral water, which I am thankful for since I do not have to get large bottles of water at the convenience store which is not even close to the hotel.
What I like about the room was the number and type of power outlets around the room. Since I carry all sorts of electronic gadgets: From laptops to cameras, it was really comfortable to charge all those devices at once.
The room featured local Type-G outlets as well as universal types. Not only the power outlets but there are also plenty of USV ports to charge your personal devices.
Opposite the work desk, there are two single beds. The beds were standard-size single beds and offered comfort for sleep even if it was only for a couple of hours.
In between, two beds is a rack with a phone, light switches and more power outlets. I did not expect many luxury and extra things at Holiday Inn properties but this hotel offered pretty much everything for my quick stay.
Summary
While I do not usually spend points and cash on a stay that is under six hours except for a day room, this time I decided to stay and get some proper sleep before my flight back to Seoul.
Holiday Inn Doha – The Business Park offers great room features and beds even though it was a short stay. Next time, I will thoroughly review all the hotel facilities such as the gym and pools and write a review about my stay.
