Review: Raffles Doha

_Location: Stationed on the waterfront promenade in Doha’s futuristic, high-tech district of Lusail about 30 minutes from the airport, Raffles Doha takes up half of the crescent-shaped Katara Towers (lower-key sibling Fairmont Doha occupies the other half). The striking skyscraper – built to evoke crossed scimitar swords – has become a symbol of the fast-growing Gulf State, helped along by the hotel’s big debut, which coincided with the start of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

_{First impressions:} Raffles Doha wows from the start. The cavernous lobby has the soaring proportions of an international airport, with a swirling kaleidoscopic design of clouds projected onto the 42-metre ceiling, meant to widen eyes and unhinge jaws. Almost immediately after I arrive, a rose-infused welcome cocktail appears in my hand and my butler whisks me upstairs to check me in from the comfort of my suite.

_{The facts:} With 132 overly generous suites, Raffles Doha is the country’s first all-suite offering, each manned by a dedicated butler providing that famed Raffles service harking back to the Singaporean original. While the entry-level suites are a delight with high, arched ceilings and marble and gold bathrooms fragranced with Frédéric Malle Magnolia toiletries, signature suites go all out according to theme. Occupying the whole of the 30th floor, the Parisian Suite, for example, comes dressed like an apartment on the Champs-Elysées with herringbone flooring and de Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper, while the over-the-top Royal Suite duplex is essentially a palace in miniature with a traditional majlis sitting room, hammam and private swimming pool.

There are several dining and drinking options, the highlights of which are Alba, plating up refined northern Italian dishes heavy on the white truffle (including a truffle martini) and the Acoustic Music Penthouse on the 39th floor, serving whisky-based tipples and endless Arabian Gulf views. As if it couldn’t get any more spoiling, there’s an ultra-private spa where even the treatment rooms are suites, outfitted with private saunas, hammams, pools and relaxation nooks. Naturally, there is an indoor and outdoor pool. Lastly, this is a dazzling place for events, with an oversized hall hosting up to 2,500 people and a red velvet auditorium/cinema for conferences, premieres and the like.

_{Ideal for:} The global glitterati – including stars and sheikhs – will feel right at home here.

_Explore: Everything is close in Doha, and the main sights are all a short drive away, including the National Museum of Qatar and Souq Waqif (don’t miss the Falcon Souq between streets Al Asmakh and Al Ahmed). For something off the literal beaten track – you’ll need a 4x4 vehicle – venture to Khor Al Adaid on the border of Saudi Arabia where desert dunes meet the Tiffany-blue waters of the Inland Sea. It’s around 50 miles from Doha, and Raffles’ concierge can arrange an excursion.

_Wow: Everything here is demonstrably expensive, and I adored the money-is-no-object touches such as the Dyson hair tools; a customisable home fragrance machine; fabric balgha slippers; and a mirrored, closet-sized, overstuffed ‘maxibar’ that makes all other hotel minibars look basic. I was also impressed by the art and the collection of rare and first-edition books – there are more than 6,000 in total – housed in the opulent smoking lounge, Blue Cigar, which is also home to a secret VIP room hidden behind one of the bookshelves (but you didn’t hear that from me).

_{Book it:} A night in a suite leads in at £773 including breakfast.
raffles.com/doha