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By John Hunt Emel Atikkan, General Manager, Doha Kempinski
permission To land The hospitality sector in Qatar is growing at pace. The challenge for the established names Ð and the new kids on the block Ð is to provide something unique, something that says: Ô choose meÕ . Qatar Today reports on a new arrival that aims to be chosen.
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n the heart of West Bay, the blunt stack that is the Doha Kempinski Residences & Suites (KRS) pokes further into the cloudless sky than any other building in the country. Even allowing for the vagaries of construction, you’d imagine that KRS – which opened in June – will not be top dog for too long in the height stakes, so will need to remain worthy of note for other reasons. Qatar Today spoke to KRS General Manager Emel Atikkan, above, to find out what those reasons might be. One among them, however, is undoubtedly that Atikkan is the only female GM in Qatar’s bur-
geoning hospitality industry. She is, then, a pioneer of sorts. What of the property she manages? “Kempinski Residences & Suites is a first in Qatar,” says Atikkan. “The property is owned by the Al Fardan Group, but this is not a franchise – Kempinski brings the name but also manages the property. This is not a ‘classic’ hotel; this is primarily a residence, a hybrid project and the only one in Qatar that combines residences and a hotel under one roof.” Residences the world over are often fairly desperate affairs. Overpriced, tired blocks with the ‘concierge’ duties carried out by a bored-looking man behind November 10
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