Does your hotel have cold water?

Where in the world is Doha? For those not familiar with the Middle East that’s a good question. Doha is the capital of Qatar a thumb-like appendage sticking out into the Persian Gulf. Doha is a fast growing city, whose population, most of whom are expatriates, has more than doubled in the past 16 years. Much of Qatar’s wealth is generated from the oil and gas industry, although like neighbouring Dubai, the country is diversifying its economic interests.

I was met at Doha International Airport by Updesh Kapur, who works in corporate communications for Qatar Airways, and his charming daughter, Angel. Doha was the one place where I didn’t have any accommodation pre-arranged, so we drove into the city in search of a hotel. We first came to the Al-Muntazah Plaza, a budget hotel that offered a night’s accommodation for more than $200. Hotels don’t come cheap in this town. I did send an email to this hotel inquiring about availability, but I never received a reply. (What’s with people and businesses the world over not responding to emails. If you can’t or don’t want to respond to an email then don’t put one on your website—end of rant)

We were able to get the hotel to drop the rate to a bearable $150. Updesh invited me to join him and his daughter for lunch, so I went upstairs and dropped my bag in the room, and wanted to give my face a quick wash. I turned on the cold tap and hot water poured out. I waited a minute or two, but there was no change. You know it’s hot outside when hot water comes out the cold tap. I tried the shower to see if it was any difference. There wasn’t. I wondered how I was ever going to have a shower with only hot water.

I returned to the lobby and inquired if they have any cold water. The clerks both looked a little sheepish and then said that the water tank for the hotel is on the roof and it gets a bit hot. No kidding! They weren’t willing to lower their rate, so we decided to go for lunch and see if we could book another hotel.

We dined at the Mariott, which had a fabulous Friday afternoon buffet (Friday being like Sunday in other parts of the world). It was the most incredible spread I have ever seen. Numerous stations offering food from around the world were set up through the long hallway. As well, one could also choose from one of the hotel’s ethnically-themed restaurants. It would be easy to spend an entire day gorging on the delicious offerings. After a couple of plates each, we all decided to top it off with a dish of ice cream.

With our bellies full, we now turned our attention to finding a hotel. Updesh made a few calls, and Qatar Airways Holidays kindly arranged a room at the Ramada (a much nicer hotel than the Al-Muntazah) for almost the same price. We returned to the Al-Muntazah to collect my bags, but the hotel didn’t want to refund my money. A lively discussion ensued at which time the “manager”, or someone who claimed to be a manager, said that people should ask before checking-in if a hotel has cold water. This guy was for real. How ridiculous. Who would ever think to ask such a question? After more lively discussion, the hotel agreed to refund the amount paid (we’ll see if it shows on my visa statement).

I then checked into the Ramada. I didn’t ask if they had cold water, but I can indeed confirm that cold water does come out of their taps.