Four Seasons Hotel Doha

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2003
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Food and Beverage Cost Controller, Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Employment History

• Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano; Four Seasons Hotel Montreal; Four Seasons Hotel Tunis; Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre; Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach; Four Seasons Hotel Firenze; Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree, Hotel Management, Alexandria University

Birthplace

• Alexandria, Egypt

Languages Spoken

• Arabic, Italian, English, French

There are a lot of good things going for Four Seasons in the capital of Qatar, and tops among them are its long-and-strong leadership in the marketplace. “We’re not coming in here as a challenger, but continuing as the luxury brand that helped put the destination on the map,” notes Mohamed Abou Doh from his perspective as Director of Marketing of Four Seasons Hotel Doha. “That gives us a strong edge amid the many hospitality options that are available here for international travellers and locals alike.”  

That edge is particularly sharp as the city focuses on its future as a travel destination following its success as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the years-long run up to the global sporting event, many international hospitality brands planted roots in Doha for the first time and the number of hotel rooms rose in kind. With demand for accommodations now cooled post-Cup, Abou Doh sees dealing with the excess room supply as “not the most challenging, but definitely one of the most interesting aspects of my job.”

Not that he is taking anything for granted, of course. “Even at nearly two decades in Doha, we’re still a fresh product. My focus is on getting word out that every element of our experience is polished and innovative to satisfy the needs of contemporary guests.”

To that end, Abou Doh and his team – an international array of talent covering marketing, sales, reservations, revenue and public relations – work to create extraordinary experiences for travellers to discover the city and its surroundings. His management style is to lead by inspiration, he says, though he notes that the inspiration flows both ways: “I learn from them as they do from me. They come from all over, just like our guests. That’s the beauty of being in an international hotel: it brings a lot to what we do.”

Abou Doh’s road to Four Seasons in Doha was long and rewarding, taking him to eight properties over two decades following his start at Four Seasons Hotel Milano in 2003. Hailing originally from Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, his dream growing up was to travel the world, inspired by his polyglot mother and football-playing father, who competed on the Egyptian Military team.

Figuring that luxury hospitality would be his ticket abroad, Abou Doh first joined an international hotel company in Alexandria, and then partnered with a friend to open a small restaurant in Milan. When he realized the city had a Four Seasons, he joined food and beverage operations and then moved into sales, which included travel to Doha, an important feeder market for the property thanks to Italy’s good relations with Qatar.

Abou Doh later joined the opening teams of Four Seasons properties along Jumeirah Beach and at the International Financial Centre in Dubai, and then became Director of Sales and Marketing in Tunis before landing as Director of Marketing first in Montreal and then in Alexandria, where a renovation had reshaped the beachfront property into a city resort.

With his summer 2023 arrival in Doha, Abou Doh has an opportunity to shape the Hotel’s place in the region as Qatar, like its neighbours, diversifies with a new focus on tourism. “There are similarities between every country in the Gulf Cooperation Council, but they also want to do their own thing economically,” he says, noting that Qatar is positioning Doha as a sports hub in the Middle East, an effort that started with the Third West Asian Games in 2005. Among recent giant steps in that direction is the Qatar Grand Prix, a Formula One event, which launched in 2021 and has a 10-year deal starting in 2023.

Meantime, there is much for travellers to enjoy in and around Doha, he says, including the new Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum of Qatar housed in an iconic building inspired by the desert rose crystal, and M7 highlighting design, fashion and tech. “Dune bashing” adventures wait in desert expanses outside of the city, and cooling waters are central to the Hotel’s vibe, with five swimming pools onsite and a private beach and marina at the foot of the property along the Arabian Gulf.

A self-proclaimed “sea person” fond of swimming, sailing, and scuba diving, Abou Doh also enjoys spending time “chasing new experiences.” Such as? “Well, lately I’ve been inspired to equestrianism, because of Doha’s renowned for horses,” he says. “The dynamics of the city are moving fast, and there are so many things for me to learn.”