Oryx Airport Hotel Doha Review
On my way to Athens on Qatar Airways, I had a 13 hour layover in Doha. The week of my flight Qatar began allowing tourist visas, but the hoops that one had to jump through made it unrealistic for my quick layover. So I booked a room at the airport in Doha. The only transit side hotel at Doha is the Oryx Airport Hotel. Due to Covid, prices seemed quite inflated and a room ran about $300 for the night. I booked through hotels.com so I at least got some credit towards a free night since the Oryx isn’t part of any chain. As I only slept minimally on my SEA-DOH flight, I was glad I paid the steep price.
Location
The Oryx Airport Hotel is located in the center of Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Transiting passengers end up right near the entrance to the hotel. The central landmark of the airport is the teddy bear lamp. It is easy to find. As you are facing the teddy bear, the Oryx Airport Hotel entrance is located to the right. You take one of the elevators up to the 3rd floor for the hotel lobby.
There were two desk agents working when I arrived and I was quickly checked in to my room. It was a bit of a walk — all the rooms are spread out across the same floor. I was assigned room 184 and I had to walk across a skybridge (view back to the terminal below) to get to my room.
The room is quite narrow. As you enter, the bathroom is on the left, then a long hall to the bedroom. My room could be set up with an adjoining room though I didn’t hear any noise.
The room had a king bed, a small desk under the TV, and a chair with footstool.
The wall opened up to a couple of large storage spaces which seemed a bit excessive for a transit hotel.
The room also had a mini fridge and coffee maker with two bottles of water.
The room looked out to the transfer security check point and the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge. Large wooden panels slide across the window for privacy and to darken the room.
From the outside looking in, you wouldn’t know that there are hotel rooms behind the lattice.
The room was very clean. The only issue I had was that the one universal outlet didn’t work. I called down and they delivered me an adapter to use with one of the other outlets.
Bathroom
The bathroom is quite large, which makes sense considering you want to freshen up after and before flights. A double vanity sit in the middle of the bathroom. I found the water splashed out easily but it didn’t matter because there is a drain under the sinks in the floor.
To the left is a large shower with huge rain shower built into the ceiling in addition to a handheld shower wand.
On the other side is a toilet and bidet (that face each other).
The bath products are Rituals branded. A razor and toothbrush were also supplied.
There is a pool and spa one floor up; however it was closed due to Covid.
I was glad to have a place to sleep even though it came at a high cost. With overnights in Doha difficult right now, the Oryx Airport Hotel is sold out for the next couple of weeks. Normally I would recommend venturing out of the airport for an overnight, but these are not ordinary times.
Have you stayed at the Oryx Airport Hotel? What was your impression?