Hotels and short-term accommodation in Qatar

Who this is for

Visitors planning a stay and residents hosting guests or needing temporary housing. This guide does not recommend, list or rank hotels or booking sites, and it does not state prices. For a long-term home, see the guide on renting a home.

Before you start

• Your dates, number of guests and the kind of stay you want: hotel, serviced apartment, villa or resort.
• Check the entry rules for your nationality first (see the visit visa guide); we found no official page that sets a hotel-booking requirement for visitors, so confirm any such condition on the official visa pages.
• A way to pay and the cancellation terms you are comfortable with.

Steps

1. Choose the type of stay

   Visit Qatar describes options from luxury, boutique, business and family hotels to beachfront resorts, serviced apartments, villas and desert glamping. Its hotel search can be filtered from 1 to 5 stars. For villas and serviced apartments it suggests speaking to a local agent about your needs.

2. Understand what the stars mean

   Qatar Tourism publishes hotel classification manuals that act as the guide for grading facilities by star rating. They are written for operators, but you can read them to see what a star level is meant to include. The manuals are linked below.

3. Prefer licensed holiday homes

   Holiday homes (privately owned apartments or villas rented to travellers) need a Tourism Licence from Qatar Tourism, which is valid for 5 years. Ask the host or platform for the licence details before you pay, and keep a copy of the booking confirmation.

4. Book early for busy periods

   Visit Qatar advises booking early for winter, holidays and major events to get the best availability and offers.

5. Get help if something goes wrong

   First raise the problem with the property and keep your booking records. Visit Qatar gives a contact line for questions and support: 106 from within Qatar, +974 4406 9921 from abroad, or contact@visitqatar.qa.

Useful numbers and apps

• Visit Qatar support (within Qatar) 106 Source
• Visit Qatar support (from abroad) +974 4406 9921 Source
• Visit Qatar support email contact@visitqatar.qa Source

Good to know

• Qatar Tourism says the Tourism Licence for holiday homes is valid for 5 years and is applied for through its e-services portal.
• The Qatar Tourism pages we could read do not publish a public search for licensed hotels or explain how a guest can verify a licence, so ask the property for its licence details and contact Qatar Tourism if in doubt.
• Star ratings come from Qatar Tourism's classification manuals; the manual for hotels dates from 2017 and may have been updated.