This is a continuation of the “vacation run” – a 50/50 mileage run / vacation my wife and I took to Cairo in January, 2015. Previous posts include: Etihad flight from Washington to Abu Dhabi, Etihad lounge hopping and Abu Dhabi to Cairo, Arriving in Cairo and Keeping an Open Mind, and Review: Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino.

Reason for choosing:

We chose this hotel primarily because it was close to the airport and because it was only 10,000 Marriott points, and, oh yeah, they had a lounge.

Lobby and Check in/Check Out Experience:

Lobby

Check-in was easy. I don’t remember it taking more than a moment. We were very happy to be upgraded to a suite on the same floor as the executive club lounge. As you may or may not have noticed from previous posts, it is not often I get the same floor as the lounge, and boy do I appreciate it!

Check-out was easy. Although because we were leaving before dark, we ended up paying for the hotel car to the airport (a nice Audi A6), rather than a taxi. The additional cost was negligible, and acceptable given that we wanted to maximize our time in the Qatar lounge.

Where the hotel stood out:

We had no expectation of an upgrade, and were pleasantly surprised with one. The suite we were given was, quite simply, spectacular. We stay at quite a few Marriott hotels over the course of any given year, and it is not often that we are provided an upgrade. It was quite appreciated – just see for yourself:

Seating and Dining room

Bedroom

Bathroom

Balcony

View from the Balcony

We also appreciated having breakfast delivered to the room — since we had a very early departure.

Pre departure Breakfast

We also had an appreciation for the pool, although this was the closest we got to it:

Pool

We also really appreciated the lounge. It had a wonderful spread, and had great folks to chat with.

Lounge dinner

Where the hotel fell a little short:

Its hard to identify an area where the hotel fell short. Perhaps upon check-out, the hotel not having taxi’s readily available was an issue, but, their alternative solution–while costing us a bunch–was reasonable.

Wrapping Up:

Overall, we really appreciated the upgrade, and in general, the hotel. The lounge met our needs, and the hotel was close enough to Doha’s Hamad International Airport that it was fine for a sub-18 hour stay. We’d stay here again, and definitely would recommend it.