InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with Mohammed Bin Ajaj Al Kubaisi to develop InterContinental Doha West Bay in Qatar.

Targeted to open by March 2009, the 60-storey tower will be located in the city centre close to both the main shopping precinct and business district, the company said in a statement.

The 540-room property, which will comprise both hotel rooms and serviced apartments, is the second InterContinental in the Qatari capital and will cater to the rapidly increasing demand from both the intra-regional and international luxury business and conference sectors, it added.

“Having hosted the Asian Games in 2006 and invested extensively in the tourism sector, Doha has established itself as a key player in the Middle East with a high international profile.  The fact we are developing a second InterContinental in the city, is testament to Doha’s progression and its ambitious plan to invest $15 billion in the tourism infrastructure and increase the number of tourists by 150 per cent by 2010,” said InterContinental Hotels Group Chief Executive Andy Cosslett.

“There are currently 10 further InterContinental properties in the development pipeline across the Middle East and Africa region and with a Holiday Inn hotel also set to open in the city, InterContinental Hotels Group is clearly committed to the expansion of this exciting destination,” said Cosslett.

“We are delighted to partner with InterContinental Hotels Group on this prestigious project and we look forward to creating a market-leading product that exactly meets the demands of the increasingly sophisticated traveller arriving in Doha every day. InterContinental Doha West Bay will stand out as an iconic building in the centre of this thriving city and we’re confident it will quickly build a global reputation for excellence,” said Al Kubaisi.

InterContinental Doha West Bay will have a state-of-the-art Conference Centre, which is expected to attract corporate and government-related businesses to the city, looking for high-quality Meetings, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition (MICE) facilities.

Doha is also diversifying its product, by pursuing specialised markets such as education and sports-related tourism.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has just opened its 150th hotel globally at Dubai Festival City and currently has 35 properties and 10,584 rooms in the Middle East and Africa region alone, the company said. – TradeArabia News Service