Qatar Airways has extended its complimentary transit hotel program until at least April 2018. I had the opportunity to test it out on my trip through Doha this week.
About a week before travel I visited the website. Economy class passengers are offered “premium” hotels while business class passengers have access to “premium” hotels as well as “luxury” hotels. While the list of hotels is tremendous in theory, in practice the free choices are limited. The Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton were not available.
> Read More: Here’s How to Get a Free Transit Hotel and Visa in Doha
My two premium choices were the InterContinental or a boutique hotel called the Souq Waqif. I chose the Souq Waqif because my stay would be from about 2pm to 12am…I just wanted a place to sleep and relax and this hotel appeared much closer to the airport than the InterContinetnal.
Upon choosing the hotel, I was taken to a booking screen, entered my information including my e-ticket number for the reservation, and hit submit. A reservation was successfully generated with a eight-character booking reference number.
I tried to apply for an e-Visa online as well, but was told I was too late…apparently 7-10 days are needed to process it. That did not concern me, however, as 80 nations (including the USA) are eligible for a free visa on arrival.
CONCLUSION
While the choices were limited, the booking process was smooth and I printed out and brought my hotel confirmation along. Turns out, some drama ensued at the airport. Stay tuned for that…
can you get a free transit hotel on an awards ticket with American Airlines? I land in Doha about 7 P.M and leave the following at 9 AM
No, must be a ticket issued by Qatar.
How did you book this given your ticket value was lower than $400 per direction
Not sure, but I did. Where do you see the $400 o/w threshold? I don’t see that anywhere. Just a 12hr+ layover between flights.
Two different programs – the $ thresholds apply and other rules apply to the STPC stopover hotel (the long standing transit scheme) – this new scheme has fewer restrictions
So if one doesn’t start from a Quatar hub city in the USA and need to connect with AA to a Quatar hub city, then one is not eligible for the free hotel?
This looks amazing. I have been tempted to schedule a long layover in the past to try this out, I will definitely do that the next time I connect in Doha.
“Turns out, some drama ensued at the airport.”
This pattern seems to follow you when you leave the airport for less than 24 hours. 😉
Can’t wait to read about it.
Yes, it does, doesn’t it? I assure you I don’t seek it out!
Will you be posting a review of the hotel?
No. I never left the airport.
Can you use chase points to book and be eligible for the free hotel stay?
Not sure I understand your question. If you sued Chase points to pay for your ticket, you would still be eligible for a free transit hotel assuming all the other requirements are met.
Hi I land at Hamad Airport at 10 pm DOha time and have a flight following morning at 8 am to US can i get a hotel for the night free …
On a Qatar Airways to Qatar Airways ticket?