As part of a major expansion plan, the Morgans Group has said it will open its first international location – a new boutique hotel – in Doha by early next year.

The multi-million dollar Mondrian Doha will be shaped like a falcon and is being built next to Lagoona Mall and Zig Zag Towers.

It is owned by a newly formed local group called Hamla Hospitality, and will have an entrance shaped like a beak, wing-like extensions framing the rooftop and basements that appear to carved out like a nest.

When completed, the 31-story hotel will have 270 rooms, including residential suites and two penthouse floors. An individual working on the project told Doha News that there will be seven or eight restaurants, including a burger bar and rum bar.

However, the hotel’s general manager said that Mondrian was in the negotiation phase with nearly two dozen vendors, and the restaurants were still being finalized.

A local restaurant will also be included in the hotel, but the name of the eatery has yet to be announced. Other features include:

• A bridal suite;
• A large spa; and
• A home automation system in each room is “similar to an Ipad but fixed on the wall” and can control all operations, including lights, TV, temperature and curtains.

Some 550 to 600 staff are expected to be brought on over the next year, the hotel’s general manager told Hotelier Middle East last month.

Timeline pushed back

The Mondrian Doha project was initially announced in 2011, with an opening set for 2013. According to its website, that was pushed back to mid-2014. Now, management has said the hotel will open next year.

When contacted by Doha News, officials declined to comment on the delay.

A Mondrian staffer told Doha News last week that most of the exterior construction has been completed, except for the wings, and work on the interiors is expected to finish by the end of this year.

There are currently three Mondrian hotels in the US – in Miami, Los Angeles and New York.

There are also plans to expand the chain into London, Istanbul and the Bahamas.

The Morgans Hotel Group specializes in lifestyle hotels and has four brands- Delano, Originals, Hudson and Mondrian.

Thoughts?

Note: This article has been corrected to reflect the owner of the hotel and that Mondrian will not host the country’s largest spa. Names of restaurants that may appear in the hotel have also been removed, as negotiations are ongoing.