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Doha is usually an afterthought for those who book flights with Qatar Airways.  Cheap Business Class fares to Asia… check.  QSuites… fingers crossed that there are no aircraft switches. 560 Tier Points from British Airways Executive Club…  yes please!  But Doha?  Just another airport where you step off of one plane and board another.

But perhaps you should reconsider, thanks to the Qatar Stopover promotion. When booking a Qatar Airways flight in any cabin, your fare should allow for a free stopover in Doha. And you can book up to 4 nights at a 5-star luxury hotel for a relative pittance.

$210 for a four-night stay works out to £162, or £40.50 per night.

$28 also looks great if your route requires you to spend at least 12 hours in Doha. Certainly better than sitting around the airport…

How Do I Book?

It’s fairly simple…

One advantage to booking a hotel through the stopover programme is that standard check-in, check-out times do not apply. Arrive at 6 am and depart at 11pm the next day? No problem… your room will be ready for morning arrival and late check-out won’t be a problem…

You do have to make your own transfer arrangements however. Taxis are plentiful. Uber works fine. And of course your hotel will be happy to send a car to the airport for you.

Qatar has now implemented visa-free access for nationals of 80+ countries, removing an obvious handicap to stopover planning.

Which Hotels Can I Choose From?

Unfortunately Qatar Airways won’t guarantee availability at your preferred 5-star hotel, but you can expect to find Western brands such as the  Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental City, Westin, etc.

You shouldn’t count on receiving points or credit for elite status, but many hotels will give you your elite benefits (free breakfast, room upgrade, etc.) nonetheless, especially if you e-mail the hotel in advance.

T&Cs

Booking validity: 1 February until 28 December 2019.

• Travel validity: until 31 December 2019. All travel must be completed by 31 December 2019.

• Offer is valid for Qatar Airways confirmed ticket holders with a minimum transit time of 12 hours in Doha until their onward flight.

• Qatar Airways E-ticket number start with “157” is required to be entered at the payment page.

• Maximum of one booking is allowed per E-ticket number. Conjunction tickets are considered part of the one original ticket.

• Offer is available on Qatar Airways flights transiting through Doha during the outbound or inbound journey. Passengers where Doha is their first departure point or final destination are not eligible for Stopover offer.

• Stopover offer is not applicable on codeshare flights.

• Maximum occupancy per hotel room is up to 2 adults (18 and above) and 1 child below 11 years of age.

• Entry into Qatar will be at the discretion of the immigration authorities. Qatar Airways is not responsible for the decision taken by the immigration authorities.

You can access the Qatar Stopover website by clicking here.