If Qatar were a person, it would be the spoiled rich kid with a huge family inheritance. My two weeks in Doha were an interesting experience but I have to admit that I wouldn't rush back there - mainly because the city just felt like a hollow shell without any real history.
The oil reserves have brought a ton of money to the country and the infrastructure growth is actually pretty remarkable. It reminded me a little of all the construction happening in Dubai, with one notable difference: none of the development appears to be catered to tourists. In short, there's nothing to do in Doha, other than shop at malls and go on desert safaris.
On my way to the hotel, the driver was telling me a little about the city and how he felt about living there. I was impressed to hear that Doha is building a subway system - especially considering that gas is cheaper than water, so fuel conservation is really not a concern. The roads are actually way too small to handle all the traffic, so this subway is probably a smart idea for the city. Plus, a majority of the residents are imported service workers who don't actually have sufficient funds to purchase cars.
Sitting in traffic gave me the time to enjoy all the sights around me. I was particularly amused by the street barricades that blocked the subway construction along the corniche. Apparently Doha's tag line is: "Qatar deserves the very best"...Typical rich kid / entitlement motto!
The staff at the hotel (and at almost every other service establishment across the city) is extremely diverse. I think I only encountered two Qataris out of over 500 on the payroll - mainly because the locals consider service jobs to be beneath them. As a result, the government issues a ton of work permits. Only in the middle-east have I seen HR people traveling on recruiting trips across Asia and, to some extent, other parts of the world. Overall, it is not difficult to get a work permit in Qatar, but each employer is only allocated a set number from each region, so they have to be aware of people's origins before making hiring decisions.
I arrived at the hotel and was totally blown away. It felt like I was in a palace and everything was top quality. This whole five-star living never seems to get old!
Unsurprisingly, Qatar's stance on alcohol is among the most conservative I have ever encountered. Locals (Muslims) are forbidden to drink and anyone coming into the country is required to leave alcohol at the airport. (They will store the liquor at the airport, but I have been told that it never seems to be there when you pick it up at the end of the trip...) Foreigners are allowed to drink during most times of the year, but the only bars with liquor licenses are located in luxury hotels and all the drinks are unsurprisingly overpriced. During Ramadan, there's no drinking whatsoever.
My first week in Doha was mostly uneventful. The hotel is located outside of downtown, so it's not convenient to just walk outside and explore the area. Even if I did want to go out, the summertime heat is not very inviting. On Friday night, however, two people that I have been working with invited me to go out for a meal and to the souk for people-watching.
I found the souk to be pretty interesting. It was like a very toned-down version of every other market I have visited in other countries. On one hand, it's good because I didn't feel unsafe or overwhelmed in the least bit. On the other hand, the atmosphere was also less exciting. The most intriguing area of the souk was the section with animals - mostly birds - which are apparently popular pets.
As I was walking through the animal area, I caught a glimpse of someone transferring live chickens from one crate to another. He was handling them like rubber chickens and just tossing them on top of one another, which made me think these are intended more for meals than for pets.
After the animal section, we walked through the obligatory "cheap clothing" section, where I saw lots of knock-off shirts, bags, and shoes. For a country that prides itself so much on being rich, I would expect only authentic LVMH boutiques at every street corner!
We decided to stop at one of the cafes for some drinks. Normally, I would not be a big fan of al fresco dining when the weather is so hot, but these places equip each table with its own portable air conditioning unit! (Energy efficiency is definitely not a concern in Doha).
My second week of work felt busy, but I was learning some interesting stuff about Qataris (indirectly, of course, since I didn't actually get to meet any locals). For one, they are apparently very concerned about social status and it is difficult for companies to engage in activities that help the community. People typically won't accept "charity", because it implies poverty. Volunteerism, in general, is just not something that most Qataris engage in. I suppose there isn't much need when the government is flush with money from all the oil reserves. (How many other counties can boast about having no sales tax and no income tax??)
The last day of my trip was actually the first day of Eid (marking the end of Ramadan) and I was lucky enough to receive an invite to dinner at the villa of the General Manager. My flight was later that night (2:30am) and of course I didn't bother packing before dinner. I figured there would be plenty of time to do that after the meal.
Well, I was wrong.
The evening was a whole lot more fun than I had anticipated and it even included alcohol - something I hadn't seen in two weeks. After only two drinks, I was feeling good and it was a lot of fun to hear the stories of people who have worked in operations around the world. I really love these international hotels because the key leaders usually have a myriad of experience from working all around the world. When I noticed that it was already after 11, I rushed back to my room like Cinderella to pack all my stuff and depart for the airport. Let me tell you, packing after two glasses of wine is so much more efficient. My clothes will probably come out of my suitcase as a complete mess and I may have forgotten some stuff in my room, but at least I got out of there in record time!
Even though I didn't find Doha to be one of the more engaging cities I have visited, the local staff more-than made up for it. It's always nice when people take an interest in getting to know me outside of work and I always appreciate being invited to social events.
I arrived at the airport, still buzzed, and excited to be checking in for a flight back to the USA - for the first time in four months! The only downside is the more-than 24 hours I need to spend in the air before reaching America.
The oil reserves have brought a ton of money to the country and the infrastructure growth is actually pretty remarkable. It reminded me a little of all the construction happening in Dubai, with one notable difference: none of the development appears to be catered to tourists. In short, there's nothing to do in Doha, other than shop at malls and go on desert safaris.
On my way to the hotel, the driver was telling me a little about the city and how he felt about living there. I was impressed to hear that Doha is building a subway system - especially considering that gas is cheaper than water, so fuel conservation is really not a concern. The roads are actually way too small to handle all the traffic, so this subway is probably a smart idea for the city. Plus, a majority of the residents are imported service workers who don't actually have sufficient funds to purchase cars.
Sitting in traffic gave me the time to enjoy all the sights around me. I was particularly amused by the street barricades that blocked the subway construction along the corniche. Apparently Doha's tag line is: "Qatar deserves the very best"...Typical rich kid / entitlement motto!
The staff at the hotel (and at almost every other service establishment across the city) is extremely diverse. I think I only encountered two Qataris out of over 500 on the payroll - mainly because the locals consider service jobs to be beneath them. As a result, the government issues a ton of work permits. Only in the middle-east have I seen HR people traveling on recruiting trips across Asia and, to some extent, other parts of the world. Overall, it is not difficult to get a work permit in Qatar, but each employer is only allocated a set number from each region, so they have to be aware of people's origins before making hiring decisions.
I arrived at the hotel and was totally blown away. It felt like I was in a palace and everything was top quality. This whole five-star living never seems to get old!
 |
| The view from my hotel room was pretty sweet... |
Unsurprisingly, Qatar's stance on alcohol is among the most conservative I have ever encountered. Locals (Muslims) are forbidden to drink and anyone coming into the country is required to leave alcohol at the airport. (They will store the liquor at the airport, but I have been told that it never seems to be there when you pick it up at the end of the trip...) Foreigners are allowed to drink during most times of the year, but the only bars with liquor licenses are located in luxury hotels and all the drinks are unsurprisingly overpriced. During Ramadan, there's no drinking whatsoever.
I thought it was interesting to look at my hotel's liquor license because it includes a picture of the General Manager as their sole authorized purchasing representative. It also limits their total monthly spending, so they need to plan carefully and stockpile during the months where they may otherwise not need their entire allotment.
The food was really good and my only complaint is the limited selection, since most of the hotel restaurants were closed for Ramadan. The hotel offers an Iftar buffet to break the fast each night, but I'm not really a buffet guy. Especially when I haven't been fasting. The first night, I decided to order room service and I asked the waiter to suggest something "light", yet with protein. Thirty minutes later, this monster plate arrived:
The food was really good and my only complaint is the limited selection, since most of the hotel restaurants were closed for Ramadan. The hotel offers an Iftar buffet to break the fast each night, but I'm not really a buffet guy. Especially when I haven't been fasting. The first night, I decided to order room service and I asked the waiter to suggest something "light", yet with protein. Thirty minutes later, this monster plate arrived:
 |
| Alcohol is restricted but meat is plentiful! |
My first week in Doha was mostly uneventful. The hotel is located outside of downtown, so it's not convenient to just walk outside and explore the area. Even if I did want to go out, the summertime heat is not very inviting. On Friday night, however, two people that I have been working with invited me to go out for a meal and to the souk for people-watching.
I found the souk to be pretty interesting. It was like a very toned-down version of every other market I have visited in other countries. On one hand, it's good because I didn't feel unsafe or overwhelmed in the least bit. On the other hand, the atmosphere was also less exciting. The most intriguing area of the souk was the section with animals - mostly birds - which are apparently popular pets.
 |
| Anyone want to buy a bird...or 500? |
As I was walking through the animal area, I caught a glimpse of someone transferring live chickens from one crate to another. He was handling them like rubber chickens and just tossing them on top of one another, which made me think these are intended more for meals than for pets.
After the animal section, we walked through the obligatory "cheap clothing" section, where I saw lots of knock-off shirts, bags, and shoes. For a country that prides itself so much on being rich, I would expect only authentic LVMH boutiques at every street corner!
We decided to stop at one of the cafes for some drinks. Normally, I would not be a big fan of al fresco dining when the weather is so hot, but these places equip each table with its own portable air conditioning unit! (Energy efficiency is definitely not a concern in Doha).
 |
| Personal aircon at every table! |
My second week of work felt busy, but I was learning some interesting stuff about Qataris (indirectly, of course, since I didn't actually get to meet any locals). For one, they are apparently very concerned about social status and it is difficult for companies to engage in activities that help the community. People typically won't accept "charity", because it implies poverty. Volunteerism, in general, is just not something that most Qataris engage in. I suppose there isn't much need when the government is flush with money from all the oil reserves. (How many other counties can boast about having no sales tax and no income tax??)
The last day of my trip was actually the first day of Eid (marking the end of Ramadan) and I was lucky enough to receive an invite to dinner at the villa of the General Manager. My flight was later that night (2:30am) and of course I didn't bother packing before dinner. I figured there would be plenty of time to do that after the meal.
Well, I was wrong.
The evening was a whole lot more fun than I had anticipated and it even included alcohol - something I hadn't seen in two weeks. After only two drinks, I was feeling good and it was a lot of fun to hear the stories of people who have worked in operations around the world. I really love these international hotels because the key leaders usually have a myriad of experience from working all around the world. When I noticed that it was already after 11, I rushed back to my room like Cinderella to pack all my stuff and depart for the airport. Let me tell you, packing after two glasses of wine is so much more efficient. My clothes will probably come out of my suitcase as a complete mess and I may have forgotten some stuff in my room, but at least I got out of there in record time!
Even though I didn't find Doha to be one of the more engaging cities I have visited, the local staff more-than made up for it. It's always nice when people take an interest in getting to know me outside of work and I always appreciate being invited to social events.
I arrived at the airport, still buzzed, and excited to be checking in for a flight back to the USA - for the first time in four months! The only downside is the more-than 24 hours I need to spend in the air before reaching America.
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