Another new year is upon us and Aspire Katara Hospitality (AKH) – one of Qatar’s leading companies in the hospitality sector – seeks to build on the successes of previous years and welcome the challenges and opportunities presented by the year ahead.
AKH continues to grow and the main reason for this is the superb range of brands that come under its umbrella – brands that appeal to all sections of Qatari society. They range from dining at premium outlets like the L’wzaar Seafood Market to the fashionable and fun Red Velvet Cupcakery – just two of AKH’s expanding portfolio of branded outlets.
Not everything that AKH does is visible to the eye, however, with the company providing consultancy services for concept design, concept enhancement and management operations for a host of other hospitality companies within Qatar. High profile Event management is an important part of what we do.
AKH achieved numerous successes in previous years, including the opening of chocolate boutique Chac’Late in February 2013; the opening of American-themed burger joint Burgeri in June 2013; The opening of Al Jazeera Media Cafe in Katara in May 2015; The opening of Burgeri Bus in August 2015; The opening of Chac’Late extension in January 2016; Conceptualization, management and execution of Ramadan lighting as well as other hospitality activities within Katara Cultural Village, such as the Qatar National Day decoration and the event management of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival. The opening of the 3rd Katara Traditional Dhow Festival 2013 was under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar.
AKH completed its plans to open two outlets abroad. The ‘Chapati & Karak’ restaurant in London’s Brompton Street (at the exclusive Knightsbridge area of the British capital) opened in January 2014 and Burgeri restaurant in 22 Great Marlborough Street, London opened in July 2016. This year, there are more projects to look forward to in Katara Cultural Village and Aspire Park.
AKH is a company defined not only by bringing the best dining experiences and hospitality to its customers but also a clear vision and ambition to become a global brand. 2014 marks a real push to turn this vision into reality by expanding and exporting the quality brands AKH has built up in Qatar, and also promoting the consultancy services it offers to a wider audience.
The company already has the presence in London, but this is only the beginning. By nurturing our brands – and accruing even more, hospitality experience, AKH seeks to combine these two strong strands into a combined product that will prove irresistible to the overseas market.
With hard work and dedication, AKH feels the coming years are going to be great and we are at your service, always.
Kholoud Al-Hail
CEO, Aspire Katara Hospitality
In October, Aspire Katara Hospitality (AKH) joined the hospitality market industry with its first restaurant; Sukar Pasha Ottoman Lounge. It is a casual, yet highly luxurious Ottoman Turkish dining abode, located directly in front of the beach of the Katara Cultural Village. In December, AKH opened its second outlet, L'wzaar Seafood Market; a restaurant with an interactive open kitchen and four-meter-long seafood display which offers a wide range of fresh seafood specialties in a number of different styles. This includes: Classic Mediterranean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Indian. L'wzaar Seafood Market also serves a specially created a la carte menu composed of starters, main courses and desserts, as well as a sushi bar and teppanyaki counter which are among the additional features for an incredible dining experience.
AKH opened Kunafa Albisana, a relaxing traditional cafe in Katara, which offers Kunafa with imported Nabulsi cheese prepared with the finest ingredients. During August was the opening of the Red Velvet Cupcakery in Katara which is the first international location for Red Velvet outside the United States of America.
Three of AKH's new fabulous brands were opened in the same year: Shawarma Albisana - an extension to Kunafa Albisana cafe which offers the best types of Shawarma, serving Beef, Chicken and Mexican. le Vesuvio - named after the famous volcano in Naples, offers a full menu of exquisite Italian cuisine. The premium quality of food includes piping-hot pizzas from an authentic wood-fired oven. AKH opened its first business in Aspire with the Aspire Grand Cafe; a casual, sporty and healthy cafe located at the very heart of the park. In May, L'wzaar Seafood Market was selected as 'Best Seafood' restaurant winner at the 'Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards 2012'.
On February 1st, was the opening of Chac'Late, the European-themed chocolatier which brings together first class brands of chocolate from UK, Italy and Switzerland, as well as authentic home-made Arabic flavours. On June 15th, Burgeri officially opened at Aspire Park. Burgeri is an 'Americana' vintage-themed burger and hotdog house serving freshly-prepared imported premium quality meat from the USA.
In January, AKH brought 'Chapati & Karak' to the swanky Knightsbridge area in London, UK. The restaurant is located at 144 Brompton Road , close to Knightsbridge's luxury brands and high end department stores (such as Harrods) and is now serving London's shoppers and tea zealots the remarkable taste of the local culinary tradition. In May, L'wzaar Seafood Market was selected as 'Best Seafood', le Vesuvio as 'Best Italian' and the Kunafa & Shawarma as 'Highly Commended Best Budget' at the 'Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards 2014'. On December 1st, the Aspire Katara Hospitality brand was updated and refreshed.
In January, Burgeri's rooftop was opened which became a new level of dining experience where you can get the best view of Aspire Park. This year, two of our F&B outlets were selected winners at the 'Fact Dining Awards, Doha'; Burgeri for 'Best North American Restaurant in Doha 2015' and L'wzaar Seafood Market for 'Favourite Seafood Restaurant 2015', while le Vesuvio was selected as 'Highly Commended' restaurant at the 'Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards 2015'.
The company's vision is to bring to Qatar unique dining concepts from all over the world, to develop our own indigenous concepts, and to create exciting and well-managed events showcasing local heritage and increase awareness of them on an international basis. Further, the goal is to manage luxurious hotels, boutique and quality retail shops to support the business demands of this country, and our burgeoning overseas presence.
To always adopt a virtuous approach to our customers and business partners, to provide an outstanding experience for everyone who deals with us, and to conceive and develop unmatched concepts. Our key value is to always go over and beyond the expectation.
Aspire Katara Hospitality (AKH) specializes in the field of hospitality and leisure. We envisage bringing to Doha authentic cuisines from all over the world and we go a step ahead by creating a unique ambiance to our restaurants yet maintain the rich tradition and culture of Qatar. We also provide consultancy and hospitality services to hotels, concept development for retail shops, event management and catering services. After conducting extensive research, we have also introduced to Doha high-end retail and food beverage concepts from abroad. In addition, we have also developed our own concepts which are fully operational and very popular in the region.
We have introduced to the local market specialized dining outlets in Katara – the world-renowned cultural village of Qatar- and our popular outlets include the Sukar Pasha Ottoman Lounge, L’wzaar Seafood Market, Kunafa Albisana, Shawarma Albisana, le Vesuvio Italian Restaurant, Chac’Late, and the Red Velvet Cupcakery. We also manage Burgeri, a burger restaurant located at Aspire Park.
All restaurants within the AKH portfolio are unique and offer a diverse dining experience. L’wzaar Seafood Market was awarded the Best Seafood Restaurant in 2012 and Highly Commended Seafood Restaurant in 2013 by Time Out Doha. Red Velvet is a prestigious Cupcakery in the USA and we have brought it to Doha, it was awarded the ‘Favorite Delicatessen Outlet’ by Qatar’s Choice Award in 2012.
Our specialized team is continually working to bring more exciting dining opportunities to the residents of Qatar. We have numerous upcoming outlets in Katara and the Aspire Zone. Internationally, our plans are well advanced. We have just launched one of our outlets in London and plans are already underway for expansion for the rest of the outlets and in different locations.
Aspire Katara Hospitality provides Consultancy and Hospitality Services for hotels and restaurants, including the development of new Food and Beverage, Retail Concepts and Event and Operations Management. The domestic success of Aspire Katara Hospitality gives the team a clear vision and determination to move forward in taking its own brands into international markets
L'wzaar Seafood Market and le Vesuvio were awarded the Best Seafood Restaurant and the Best Italian Restaurant respectively in 2014 by Time Out Doha
Under the leadership of Aspire Katara Hospitality, the team has recently kicked off Aspire Wonderland, which was open for the public. The festival took place around the shores of Aspire Lake from March 26-30. Since its official launch, the festival has drawn 15,000 visitors to the park, featuring animated fantasy characters.
The festival was an authentic mix of folk tales from the Middle East and the West, as 3D designs adorned Aspire’s lake entailed an imaginary gateway to the world of fantasy and folk tales with the use of state-of-the-art lighting techniques. Aspire’s lake witnessed a water fountain transforming Aspire park into a majestic world with music. Due to the tremendous turnout of visitors, AKH has decided to extend the festival for another two days.
Aspire Park hosted 30 local F&B businesses with a variety of options, and the event was sponsored by Vodafone and Katara Cultural Village.
The Third Aspire International Kite Festival took place at Aspire Park from 6 March to 9 March. This was Aspire Zone Foundation’s (AZF) third edition of this popular festival, visitors came back to watch the sky light up with kites of different sizes, designs and colours for four days of fun, frolic and festivity.
There were kite flying competitions, along with three other types of Competitions, Photography, Children’s Poster and Schools’ Competitions with valuable prizes for the winners, kite workshops, food and beverages trucks, entertainment, music, fun and lots of other activities for all family members.
Over 80 international kite flyers joined this year. The professional kite fliers competed in four different award categories that included:
1. Biggest Kite Award
2. Longest Kite Award
3. Best Design and Innovation Award
4. Best National Flag Award
AZF brought back the schools competition for private and government schools. 10 schools participated in the competition this year vying for a range of cash prizes. The first prize was 50,000 QR went to Oscar Academy, the 2nd Prize was 30,000 QR went to Edison International Academy and the 3rd prize was 20,000 QR went to Birla Public School.
The Photography Competition was open for the public, participants captured action shots of the kites flying, or of guests interacting in the festival. Images were posted on Instagram with the hashtag # Aspirekitefest2019 and judged by the three winners from last year’s competition.
Children’s Poster Competition was open to all kids of the age of 13 and under. The 10 winners received gifts from Kidzania.
The Event was sponsored by Qatar Airways, Ooredoo, Katara Cultural Village, Dolphin Energy, Salam Stores and Kidzania.
This year’s spectacular Qatar National Day shows and events were held in Katara’s Amphitheatre on the 17th and 19th of December to celebrate our love for Qatar with all its Citizens and Residents.
Traditional performance by young girls
Halima Al Saidia Primary school girls showcased a traditional performance. To the song “Ya Qatar Inti Al Haya”.
Fahad Al Kubaisi and Anwar entertain the crowd
The duet performed “Lel Watan Mina Tahia”.
Russian Performance
The Russian group performed a number of enchanting acts, one of them being the “Petal Dance” while dancing along to “Aini Qatar”. A temporary dance was performed with the song “Allah Ya Omri Qatar”, a ballet danced to “Ragsi ya Ayoni” and the performance “The story of a Fairy” to “Toob Toob Ya Baher”.
Arda Perfomance
“Rayat Al Eiz” Arda was performed by Al Khor school for boys and Qatar school for boys.
Asian Performance
The traditional Asian fan dance, was performed by more than 30 dancers to the song “Ya Jarati”.
Drone and fireworks show sparkle Katara’s skies
Katara’s skies were lighted up in celebration of the National Day, with a unique drone and fireworks show.
International Acts with a Middle Eastern Qatari twist
This year’s show was a combination and fusion of the Qatari culture and the European and Asian culture. Nasser Suhaim, a well-known composer who is behind this unique fusion, was able to create master pieces that gave the show a spectacular finish.
Aspire Zone Foundation brought back the successful Lake Festival for a second year in a row and added a little extra spark. Itís a poetic and dazzling show orchestrated by the experts and talented artists who conducted The Geneva Lake Festival, Chateau de Versaille and Pont Du Gard shows.
Directed by the highly acclaimed Christophe Berthonneau along with 40 performers, who dazzled Aspireís audience with a premier show experience at Aspire lake. Aspire Zone was lit up and sparkling for two nights on the 23rd and 24th of March 2018. Over 10,000 ticketed guests attended the show over the 2 days.
The Magical Journey was manifested through a multitude of pyrotechnic ballets performances supported by amazing and creative lighting, multimedia, fireworks, and sound effects.
Aspire Park hosted 30 local F&B businesses with a variety of options, and the festival was sponsored by Ooredoo, Qatar Airways, Katara Cultural Village and Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
After the immense success of Aspire’s 1st International Kite Festival, we have invited our favorite international kite flyers to return to Aspire Park for yet another prosperous Kite Festival.
The event was held for 4 days, starting on March 6th to conclude on Friday, March 9th 2018.
Qatar residence watched in awe as professional kite flyers decorated the sky with their skillful choreography and enchanted designs. There was even more action on the ground with kite workshops, roaming entertainers and food kiosks.
This year, the much awaited Qatari team was launched to join the 22 countries to fill Aspire’s sky with colorful shapes and characters. The team was formed by the Organizing Committee in inviting a group of inspired young Qatar residents to join hand in hand and build the country’s very own kite.
The workshops were made for anyone interested to know the basics of building a kite. The public had the option to build their own kite or to decorate one to take out and fly. Its purpose is to educate the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites and advance the joys and values of kiting in all nations.
Moreover, the event featured three types of Competitions, Photography, Children’s Poster and Schools’ Competitions. The winners were announced on social media and awarded after the event.
Along with the International Kite Festival, AZF, in collaboration with the Qatar Photographic Society, launched a photography competition where Qatar residents were invited to enter by taking a photo and uploading it on Instagram. We wanted them to capture the dynamic beauty and show us the perfect moment through their camera lens. First place winner this year won a 20,000 QAR cash prize. Second place winner will be flying business class to a destination of their choice while the third place winner received two economy class plane tickets. Fourth and fifth place winners each received a professional camera to encourage them to take on their hobby to the next level. The competition was open to everyone and no registration was required.
Children were also given the chance to win in a competition designed to encourage them to reveal their creativity and imagination. All youngsters below the age of 13 years were invited to create and colour posters related to the event. Children drew their best illustration of a kite in the skies above Aspire Park to win valuable giveaways from Virgin Megastores. A panel composed of two Artists chose 6 winners.
The Festival organizer has designed a dedicated schools program to introduce children to the sport of kite flying through a friendly inter-school competition which was open to all Qatari schools, with teams representing 10 local schools vying for a range of cash prizes ñ 50,000 QAR for first place, 30,000 QAR for second place and 20,000 QAR for third place.
The Event was sponsored by Qatar Airways, Ooredoo, Katara, Salam Stores, Virgin Megastore and Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
It was an honor to have led the first Lake Festival held in Qatar. Lake Festivals are very popular in the United States, China, Japan and Africa with more countries joining the list each year. In order to put Qatar on the Map of the Worldís elegant Lake Festival we initiated the first Aspire Lake Festival.
The depth of the sea has always been a source of mystery that mankind held an attraction to and it influenced many of their novels. The Italian Artist, Roberto Corona was inspired by the beauty of the sea and its mysterious creatures to create this extraordinary show, that took place at the Aspire Lake on the 9th,10th and 11th of November 2017.
Aspire Lake was immersed into a creative display of water and music celebrating beauty of the sea with breath taking performances, Dj and live singing. Approximately 75,000 people attended the show over the 3 days
Aspire Park also hosted Qatarís favorite food trucks with a vast selection of sweet and savory options. It was indeed a celebration of life & color through the grace and majesty of the underwater world!
45 minutes Boat Trip with refreshments / Pickup & Drop to Marsa Katara Marine.
Timings: 10:00AM – 4:00PM or 5:00PM – 11:00PM
Sizes: Small for 4 Pax / Medium for 6 Pax / Large for 8 Pax
Coffee cheesecake is packed full of coffee flavor. It’s rich in flavor and incredibly creamy.
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings.
Fresh greens, Tulum cheese, dried red currant, soaked walnut, cherry tomato, fresh mint and pomegranate kernels
Homemade dough with Turkish cheese served with premium quality Turkish pistachio
Whole lamb rotisserie served with dane-i tahil or Turkish pilaff
Stuffed eggplant rolls with spinach and cheese baked in rich tomato sauce
Fresh chard leaves filled with minced beef on a bed of sautéed tomato. Served with garlic yogurt and butter fried red chili
Prepared Turkish way specially for Ramadan and served with crispy bread cubes and red pepper oil
If you are an energetic and qualified candidate with a team player mentality and speak fluent English & Arabic, you are welcome to submit your CV. We are recruiting for our restaurants (Arabic, Turkish, Italian, Seafood & Premium Chocolates) in Qatar.
Restaurant Division
· Captain
· Sr Waiter/Waitress
· Waiter/Waitress
· Service receptionist
· Shisha Expert
· Shisha Man
· Butler
· Bartender
· Head Chef (Arabic)
· Head Chef (Turkish)
· Head Chef (Seafood)
· Sous Chef
· Pastry Chef
· Chef De Partie
· Demi Chef De Partie
· Commis
· Stewards
· Restaurant manager
· Asst Restaurant Manager
· Restaurant Supervisor
Maintenance Division
· Kitchen Equipment Technician
· Carpenter (Finishing)
· Mason
Finance
· Cost Controller (F & B)
· Accountant-Accounts Payable
DOHA PORT
The Redevelopment of Doha Port’s historical position at the heart of the city has played a crucial role in the growth of the State from a small fishing village into a thriving city, boasting a dynamic business climate and vibrant cultural landmarks.
The Port enjoys a strategic location on the coast of Doha, at the southern end of the Corniche, east of the Museum of Islamic Art’s public amenity and the beautifully-designed Qatar National Museum.
MINA DISTRICT
The concepts at Mina District in Doha Port are focused on a mix of retail shops, culturally-diverse restaurants, a boutique hotel, a supermarket and a fish market and numerous interesting cafes. The venue is envisioned to be a prime destination and attractive melting pot of tourism and opened November 2022.
Being a prime hub of forward-thinking culture and hospitality, foreign proprietorship of businesses is permitted. Therefore, a Qatari business partner or sponsor to operate is no longer required.
Our team of hospitality professionals will be happy to assist and guide investors with the step-by-step process to help you build a successful brand for your company in the country.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity because foreign sole ownership and venture in Qatar is very limited to only a few number of locations.
BOX PARK
The idea behind Box Park concepts at Doha Port is to endorse the venue as a sea-related activity hub consisting of retail shops, fishing equipment, yacht maintenance, boat rentals and other similar sea-related activities. We are thrilled to welcome potential operators that are in the sea-related industry to participate and express their interest.
The Park opened to the public in March 2021.
KATARA SOUTH PLAZA
Exclusivity and uniqueness of ideas are one of the main draws in Katara South Plaza. This means that the concepts developed and operating here are one-of a-kind, translating to a diverse and interesting culinary fusion of F&B Restaurants and fascinating retail outlets.
In addition to world-class restaurants and cafes, South Plaza includes a Planetarium, office buildings, a Cinema and underground parking. It is located at Katara Cultural Village — the largest and the most multi-dimensional cultural project of Qatar. It is a venue where people come together to experience the cultures of the world through a variety of annually established Festivals and Events.
AL JANOUB STADIUM
A beautifully-designed and capable to host 40,000 guests by the widely-lauded architect ZahaHadid, Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah embraces and invites F&B and Retail Concepts for a thrilling opportunity to be part of this visually stunning imagery. The design was inspired by the sails of Dhow boats, traditionally and historically used by the country’s pearl divers. The curvilinear roof and exterior of the structure references Al Wakra’s history of seafaring, additionally giving spectators the feeling of being onboard a ship.
The concepts at Al Janoub Stadium are non-exclusive, which means we are happy to welcome food chains and existing restaurant brands. The project is envisioned as a prime local and tourist destination and will be home to many dining concepts and world-class elements during and after the 2022 World Cup.
AL BAYT STADIUM
A uniquely Qatari structure, Al Bayt Stadium takes its name from bayt al sha’ar – tents historically used by locals in Qatar and the Gulf region. The location of the Stadium is in Al Khor, 35km north of Doha. Al Khor is a city famed for its pearl diving and fishing industries.
The portability of the “Tent” is going to set trend for future structures— the upper tier of modular design seating will be removed after the FIFA World Cup 2022 and will be donated to developing nations that need sporting infrastructure – a lasting reminder of Qatar’s generous and collaborative spirit.
The concepts at Al Bayt Stadium are attestation of the rich variations and developing taste of this progressive Gulf country. We welcome all ideas and concepts from investors to add color, life and authenticity to complement the aesthetics of this traditionally-structured and state-of-the-art stadium.
We welcome interested operators with family-themed concepts that are unique, interesting and fun that each member of the family can truly experience.