Hotels, restaurants attract football fans with food, match screenings

Big screens, buffet offerings and cosy atmosphere at hotels and restaurants in Doha have attracted many football fans during the ongoing FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’s semi-final matches and the trend is expected to continue for the two remaining matches.
“I wanted to experience a less crowded place to witness the semifinal matches, and this time with plenty of food and beverage within reach so I and my wife decided to go to a hotel,” said Indian expatriate Sachin M, an Argentina fan.
He said he enjoyed spending the night at the hotel, which installed small and big screens for guests, and offered a buffet dinner. While the environment at hotel restaurants is less ecstatic compared to the stadium and the fan zones, Sachin said he and his family feel “more comfortable, relaxed and pampered”.
A hotel restaurant’s QR250 buffet for a free match screening has been appealing to many especially for couples, families and small groups while some fans opted just for a few beverages. Filipino expatriate Alfie N, who watched the Argentina vs Croatia match with his friends, said he finds the hotel setting “very much appealing to us who like to eat a lot while watching sports matches whether it is basketball or football.”
Since getting a match ticket is nearly impossible now, he said watching the finals between the two remaining teams at a hotel with a small group would be the best option, other than going to a fan zone. Communications officer of a five-star hotel told Gulf Times that their restaurants were at full capacity during the recent semifinal matches, including hotel guests and walk-ins.
“A lot of people prefer to spend their QR100, QR150, QR200 or more for food and drinks, and other hotel amenities at this stage and we are very happy to welcome and provide them the best hospitality possible for watching a World Cup match,” she added. She said they expect more football fans to come to the hotel in the third-place play-off between Morocco and Croatia (Saturday at 6pm) and the finals between Argentina and France Sunday (6pm).