# Hotels and short-term accommodation in Qatar

> What kinds of short-stay accommodation exist, how Qatar Tourism classifies and licenses hotels and holiday homes, what to check before you book, and who to contact if you need help.

- Page: https://thestateofqatar.com/en/guides/hotels-and-accommodation
- For: Visitors, Residents
- Topic: Arriving in Qatar
- Where: Qatar Tourism, Visit Qatar
- Last checked: 2026-10-25

## 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.

## Cost

Rates are set by each property and change by season; no official price list is published. Qatar Tourism requires hotels to file a rack rate each year, but the pages we could read do not state tourism taxes or fees for guests.

## 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.

## Useful numbers and apps

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

## Official links

- [Visit Qatar: accommodation](https://visitqatar.com/intl-en/plan-your-trip/accommodation)
- [Qatar Tourism: classification](https://www.qatartourism.com/en/licensing-e-services/legislation/classification)
- [Qatar Tourism: classification manuals](https://www.qatartourism.com/en/licensing-e-services/legislation/classification-manuals)
- [Qatar Tourism: holiday homes](https://www.qatartourism.com/en/licensing-e-services/e-services/holiday-homes)
- [Qatar Tourism: contact us](https://www.qatartourism.com/en/contact-us)

## Sources

- https://visitqatar.com/intl-en/plan-your-trip/accommodation
- https://www.qatartourism.com/en/licensing-e-services/legislation/classification
- https://www.qatartourism.com/en/licensing-e-services/e-services/holiday-homes
- https://www.qatartourism.com/en/contact-us
- https://hukoomi.gov.qa/en/services/request-to-update-rack-rate-of-hotel-establishment