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How very englisH at tHe

grand Heritage
As London bECoMEs A popuLAR dEsTinATion foR A suMMER RETREAT foR QATARis, THE GRAnd HERiTAGE is RETuRninG A LiTTLE biT of THE biG sMoKE To QATAR. THE fivE-sTAR HoTELs dEsiGn And sTyLE WHiCH is uniQuE To THE REGion is viCToRiAn And HEAviLy inspiREd by THE LAnEsboRouGH HoTEL, jusT off HydE pARK, fRoM iTs ELEGAnT ARCHiTECTuRE To THE Cosy fEEL of iTs TEA LounGE.
ust walking into the lobby of the hotel makes you feel like Johnny English, as you are greeted by a traditional elegance associated with the old country. The walls are clad in limestone blocking with a Victorian frieze crown moulding and the furnishings are of antique mahogany. The artwork on display establishes a homely feel. Pierre-Marie Vasseur, the General Manager of the Grand Heritage, spoke of this homely feel and how his guests feel its the perfect place to prepare for their day ahead and to de-programme thereafter. We get a lot of regulars here, he said. We see the same high-profile people come to the Tea Lounge every morning and evening. They enjoy the atmosphere and the ambience it gives them a sense of privacy and intimacy. You often see them working away on their iPads or reading the newspaper or other times you see some ladies have a quiet discussion amongst themselves. They always speak of the gravity of the staff here, he continued. They dont even have to order anymore - they have a drink

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by their side within a couple of moments. If you search our hotel on any website tripadvisor.com or bookings.com the reviews always compliment our staff. Family-focused It was surprising to hear that Qataris are the most frequent guests at the hotel, followed by those from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Grand Heritage has tried to generate a family feel around the place, which seems to resonate with people from the GCC in particular. But surely they are not just moving across the street? Qataris love to take their families to a local hotel for a weekend, and what better family hotel than the Grand Heritage? Vasseur said. We have Aspire Park right on our doorstep, where children can run around freely. The Villagio Mall, which is very popular, has just been reopened. During Eid, for example, we had mascots such as Spongebob Squarepants and Barney who played with the kids all day. We set up a special room where they could play their games and eat the food they enjoy. For the adults, the luxurious Tea Lounge

Pierre-Marie Vasseur, General ManaGer,

Grand HeritaGe.

and the soon-to-be-opened Turkish restaurant are the highlights. We just hired a new Turkish chef from a hotel in Dubai, as we want to bring in a Turkish concept. We feel there is a real lacking for this in Doha, and since we get a lot of local guests, we want to give them the food they really enjoy. The Tea Lounge has been created to give the belief that you are entering the library of an old English mansion. Some people come here just to drink the different kinds of tea. We have over 40 different types which we get from a specialist tea production company in Paris called Palais des Thes but the most popular one by far is our Moroccan blend. We have an Algerian lady here who makes the most wonderful cup in all of Doha

88 QATAR TodAy

october 2012