Qatar Airways acquires first UK hotel

Gulf carrier Qatar Airways has purchased Heathrow’s Sheraton Skyline hotel.

Exterior of Sheraton Skyline hotel in London
Exterior of Sheraton Skyline hotel in London.
It is the airline’s first hotel acquisition in the UK and follows its nigh-on 10% investment in British Airways’ parent company, IAG, in January.

The property, which is located on Bath Road, will continue to be managed by Starwood under the Sheraton brand.

The Sheraton Skyline is the first hotel to be bought by Qatar Airways outside of Qatar, where it owns the five-star Oryx Rotana Hotel in Doha and runs the new Hamad International Airport Hotel, which includes squash courts and a swimming pool.

The Sheraton Skyline is a four-star property featuring 350 guest bedrooms, including Club Rooms with access to the Sheraton Club. All bedrooms are fully soundproofed and feature LCD flat-screen TVs.

Qatar Airways has embarked on a strategy to expand into the hotel business, with the acquisition of the Sheraton Skyline fitting this remit. The airline has previously revealed plans to invest in further properties in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Qatar Airways CEO HE Akbar Al Baker described the Sheraton Skyline as “an excellent addition to [the airline’s] travel offering”. “It [complements] our five-star hotel the Oryx Rotana in Doha, and will make it easy for passengers who wish to spend some time in London before travelling further.”

sourced:traveldailynews.asia