Thai operator Centara Hotels & Resorts will make its first move into the Middle East in 2016, when the Centara Grand West Bay Hotel opens in Doha, Qatar.

Centara has signed a contract with owner Al Bandary Hotel Management to manage the property, which is located in the newly-developed district of West Bay. There will be 264 bedrooms and 96 residences at the site, in addition to four food and beverage outlets.

As part of a large entertainment zone across the 29th and 30th floors, there will be a Spa Cenvaree with male and female facilities, plus a fitness and aerobics centre.

Tara Hanrahan, group director of spa operations for Spa Cenvaree, told Spa Opportunities the spa will feature 18 treatment suites, including a presidential therapy room.

“There will be private hammams, relaxation pods, a retail boutique, complete wet areas with steamrooms, saunas and plunge pools,” said Hanrahan. "The furnishings are modern versions of traditional Thai interiors and our spa therapies are inspired by south east Asian customs and traditions.”

CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thirayuth Chirathivat, said: “Our brand, with its distinctive Thai identity, is now being accepted by international investors and we are moving into markets that are strategically important for our overseas expansion.”

Chirathivat is referring to the brand’s increasingly diverse portfolio of properties in Bali, the Maldives and Mauritius, in addition to 10 locations in Thailand. Further hotels are underway in Vietnam, Shanghai and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.