Qatar Airways acquires Sheraton Melbourne hotel

You may remember last year when several news outlets speculated that the Sheraton Melbourne Hotel might be snapped up by Qatar Airways.

Well, we now have official confirmation, so official in fact, Qatar even posted a release on their site.

The Sheraton Melbourne will snuggle up with a number of other hotels in the growing portfolio of Qatar Airways’ hospitality division, Dhiafatina Hotels.

The Sheraton Melbourne joins the Sheraton Skyline Hotel at London’s Heathrow Airport, The Novotel Edinburgh Park in Edinburgh Scotland, the Oryx Rotana Hotel in Doha, and The Airport Hotel located at Doha’s Hamad International Airport (HIA).

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: “The acquisition of the Sheraton Melbourne Hotel complements Qatar Airways’ global strategy for growth, and further strengthens our offering for passengers travelling on board our daily flights to Melbourne.

“Melbourne is an incredibly important destination on the Qatar Airways network, so much so that last year we began flying our state-of-the-art Airbus A380 aircraft to Melbourne.

“Qatar Airways is committed to going places together with our passengers, and I am delighted to announce the acquisition of the Sheraton Melbourne Hotel as part of the Dhiafatina portfolio, hand-picked to extend the excellent service our passengers receive, both in the air and once they arrive at their destination.”

Qatar Airways introduced its flagship Airbus A380 on the Melbourne route in June 2017, increasing the airline’s daily capacity on the Doha-Melbourne route by 44 per cent.

The A380 aircraft features a luxurious First Class Cabin with ultra-wide seats which recline into a flat bed, two-passenger table extension dining, as well as designer sleeper suits, flight slippers and amenities.

Passengers travelling in Qatar Airways’ award-winning Business Class can also enjoy direct aisle access with the 1-2-1 seat configuration and a suite of entertainment options including onboard Wi-Fi, keeping them fully connected to while up in the air.

In addition, passengers in First and Business Class can relax and socialise at the onboard lounge located on the upper deck of the aircraft.

Earlier this week, Qatar Airways launched direct services to the Australian capital of Canberra, and now proudly connects Canberrans to the airline’s extensive global network of more than 150 destinations.

The airline also recently launched services to Chiang Mai, Thailand; St. Petersburg, Russia and Penang, Malaysia, to name just a few.

The airline will launch service to Cardiff, United Kingdom and Thessaloniki, Greece in coming months.