The Dunes Hotel and Suites held a soft opening ceremony last night, representing the latest property to offer apartment accommodation on a daily to monthly basis, catering primarily to the business market in Qatar. The hotel is a four star property, made up of 85 one and two bedroom apartments, offering rooms of between 75 and 107msq in size. Dunes also offers a spa facility on the 21st floor of the hotel, and will include a number of restaurants in its second phase of opening next year. Gulf Times spoke to the general manager of the property, Rene Vincent-Ernst ahead of the hotel’s official opening on September 15, to find out how he views the local market and where Dunes will fit in. “We offer absolutely everything the discerning traveller needs,” he said, adding “we have placed more emphasis on the business market, and we offer all the mod cons for our guests, from an extraordinary bed, to fantastic TV’s to our shower facilities.” “This is an exciting new hotel, and we are raising the bar in terms of a business hotel in Qatar with an outstanding concierge service offering anything our guests could possibly want,” he added. Vincent-Ernst argued that one of the major positive aspects of the property is its intimacy. “We only have 85 rooms, but I have found during the last year and a half in Qatar that a lot of embassies and other organisations are looking for a more discreet, private and intimate hotel,” he stated. The general manager believes his year and a half in Qatar ahead of the hotel opening has been a huge advantage, and has helped him develop a great deal of interest in Dunes already. “With so many people coming here to do business on a regular basis, serviced apartments are the future,” he said. “When people are travelling they want to have their space and their comfort – they want to feel they are staying in a home away from home, which is what we offer,” he said. Vincent-Ernst explained that he is looking at a number of other properties to expand the hotel’s portfolio in the future, but at the moment is looking forward to welcoming guests to Dunes. “We’re really excited about opening this week and welcoming people to the hotel,” he said, adding “the intimate atmosphere means that we can treat each of our guests with the attention they deserve”. Gulf Times

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar