Hilton signs pact for hotel in Qatar

Hilton Hotels Corporation has signed an important management agreement with New Doha Hotels Company for a residential hotel opening in the second quarter of 2012, the company said yesterday. The Hilton Doha Residence in Qatar will feature approximately 288 well-appointed studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with on-site facilities including a restaurant, health club, outdoor swimming pool and car park, Hilton said in a statement. The property would be Hilton's second in Qatar following the Hilton Doha, which is currently under development. "The government's initiative to boost the tourism sector in the region and raise the average length of stay from 1.5 to four days provides us with the perfect market opportunity to launch Hilton Doha Residence," Ivor McBurney, Vice President, Development, Hilton Hotels, Middle East, said in a statement. With an estimated GDP income per capita of $85,867 per annum, the major infrastructure investments in tourism including the redevelopment of Doha International Airport, the causeway linking Qatar to Bahrain, and the development of meeting, incentives, convention and exhibition facilities such as the Doha Convention Centre and the Qatar National Convention Centre, has made the Gulf emirate an important development market for Hilton, the hotels company said. "The Hilton Doha Residence will incorporate the comforts of home into an upscale hotel experience to offer business and leisure travellers a convenient retreat for their extended stays," Dave Horton, Global Head – Hilton Hotels & Resorts, said recently. Hilton Hotels, with a large brand footprint in the Middle East and Africa with 41 hotels across 13 countries, and another 20 properties in the pipeline, the company will mark its entry into the Qatar market with the 324-room Hilton Doha scheduled to open in Q1 2010, next to the Hilton Doha Residence. Hilton Hotels Corporation, meanwhile, has in its portfolio more than 3,300 hotels and 550,000 rooms in 77 countries. The company owns, manages or franchises hotel brands including Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria and the Waldorf Astoria Collection, as well as the recently launched Home2 Suites by Hilton. Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the daily Emirates Business 24|7 newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here .