Airline sets sights on five-star hotel for city centre
QATAR Airways has confirmed it is looking to establish a five-star hotel in Cardiff. The airline, which earlier this week launched its first direct scheduled route from the hub Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, to Cardiff Airport, has entered into early discussions with the Welsh Government to identify suitable potential sites in the city centre, providing property options come forward offering long-term leases and reasonably priced rents.
Cardiff currently doesn’t have a five-star hotel, which is seen as a missing link in its leisure and business offer.
Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, chief executive of the airline Akbar Al Baker, confirmed the airline is aiming to have 50 five-star hotels globally, with Cardiff now firmly on its radar as part of its ambitious expansion plans.
He said: “We are interested in establishing a five-star hotel, which we see there is the potential for here [Cardiff ].
“This is the capital of Wales and there is no five-star hotel. And there are people that want more luxury and more facilities so we see that there is a 120 to around 150 room five-star hotel requirement in the capital.
“We don’t want to build a five-star hotel at the airport. It is not a crew hotel, it is a hotel for business people, travellers and tourists, who want luxury.
“And in this I would rely on the First Minister to advise me on the best way in where it would be located, providing that the real estate is provided to us on a long-term lease and at reasonable rentals.”
He added: “We would then invite operators who would like to be part of the design of the hotel. And once that happened Qatar Airways would make a decision to go ahead with that.”
The First Minister said: “We would like to work with his excellency to move this project [hotel] forward.
“We know that the city doesn’t have enough capacity, particularly when major events come here and hosting all the people that want to stay here like for last year’s Uefa Champions Finals.
“So, there is certainly an opportunity there for a hotel of that standard not just to establish itself but to flourish in Cardiff.”
Mr Al Baker said the airport had no desire to invest in the airport itself, which is 100% wholly-owned by the Welsh Government.
He said: “We are not the moment keen to invest in Cardiff Airport itself although I cannot speak for our sovereign wealth fund as it is their decision if they would like to invest here.”
However, Mr Jones reaffirmed that at some stage it would look to bring a long-term strategic investor [s], in which could provide the financial support for a required new terminal building when passenger numbers, currently at 1.4 million, reach three million.
But the aim would be for the Welsh Government to maintain an interest in the Rhoose-based airport, which it acquired from Spanish firm Abertis for £52m in 2013.”
The most likely investor would not be a private equity firm or a hedge fund, but a pension fund or sovereign wealth fund who took a longterm view on a return on investment.
Mr Al Baker said that Qatar Airways was committing to its new Cardiff route for the long-term.
He added: “We are now opening Wales to the world. This airline is going to connect you to places. Our commitment to Wales is going to be here for good.
“And I have no doubt that we will succeed. We we starting with five flights and it will be daily from the middle of June.
“Cardiff has long been on our wish list of destinations to add to our global route map, and we are delighted to be here today to celebrate this important milestone in the history of our airline.
“We are tremendously excited to now be able to serve the people of both Wales and south west England, providing them with world-class service and seamless connections to the many destinations on our global route network.
“We also look forward to bringing travellers from around the globe to Cardiff, enabling them to experience the many attractions this unique city has to offer.”
Chairman of the airport Roger Lewis, said the route would be “transformational” for Cardiff and the Welsh economy, bringing a new wave of business people, investors and tourists directly into Wales.
He said that the new route also provided for up to 20 tonnes a day of freight traffic between Wales and Qatar, where the hub Hamad International Airport provides access to markets worldwide through connecting flights. also provided for up to 20 tonnes a day of freight traffic between Wales and Qatar, where the hub Hamad International Airport provides access to markets worldwide through connecting flights.