Rezidor set to launch Hotel Missoni in Qatar

Hotel Missoni, a joint venture between the Italian fashion house and Rezidor Hotel Group, plans to enter the Qatar market in 2015 with the launch of its third property in the GCC. The branded Doha property, which is owned by local conglomerate Al Jassim Group, will be kitted out in Missoni’s trademark striped designs and flamboyant colours. Wealthy Qatar will be a “perfect fit” for the hospitality brand, said Kurt Ritter, CEO of the Rezidor Hotel Group. “People in this country are very receptive towards this kind of luxury.” The 200-room Hotel Missoni Doha is scheduled to open its doors in late 2015, and will mark the brand’s sixth property worldwide. The hotel will join existing properties in Kuwait and Oman. European hotel chain Rezidor last week said it planned to invest $18m in taking over the Ramada Plaza Doha, marking the company’s first entry into the Qatar market. The Brussels-based hotelier will convert the existing 583-room Ramada Plaza Doha to the Radisson Blu brand in the third quarter of 2012, the company told Arabian Business. The hotel chain has 40 hotels in operation or in development under the luxury brand. The Missoni deal will see Rezidor grow its debut in the Qatar market, as it seeks to take advantage of the Gulf state’s tourism drive ahead of its hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Doha has pledged to spend some $88bn on infrastructure and hotels over the next decade as it gears up to hold the world’s most-watched sporting event. Rezidor said in November it plans to add around five hotels a year in the Middle East, as it seeks to grow its footprint of the region’s growing tourism industry.