It’s a weekday morning in a hotel in Doha, the sprawling city that dominates Qatar.
The manager, a large man in an uncomfortable-looking suit, shakes my hand with a smile and leads me through the lobby. As we walk down marbled corridors, I take in my surroundings. This is a five-star establishment. Chandeliers the size of small cars hang from the ceiling. In one corner, a grand piano plays itself. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows I can see out to a private beach. We eventually come to a stop in a lounge, deserted apart from a man on the phone.
Such scenes are ubiquitous the world over. Luxury hotels function as oases of opulence, places to be pampered and to indulge. But there’s one crucial difference between hotels like this one in Doha and counterparts elsewhere. In Qatar, the main clientele is not made up of visitors from outside the country, but those already living here.