RYDGES Plaza hotel is scheduled to close on December 1, just six years after it was built.
Though no hotel official was willing to talk about the hotel’s fate, a source confirmed that it would not receive any guests in December.
The hotel, run by the Australian Rydges Group, was informally opened on December 15, 2002. It is owned by FBQHC of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassem al-Thani.
A hotel source could not say what might happen to the 11-storey building that stands in the al-Bida area, overlooking the Doha Bay and the Corniche. However, the source said the building “is being taken over by the ministry (of interior)”.
Ever since the 138-room building was built, speculation was rife in the city that the hotel would never be opened because of its sensitive location next to the Emiri Palace. But, it did open and survived the demolitions that razed all the surrounding buildings, which housed hundreds of residents.
However, speculation of the demolition resurfaced from time to time.
The source could not say whether the four-star hotel would be reopened at another location. But, moves are underway to find a new building, it is learnt.
The Rydges Plaza is a hotel group that was launched in 1988 and currently has more than 30 properties in various countries, including the UAE. A hotel official has said it is looking to expand its presence in the Middle East.
GT
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