Qatar Duty Free (QDF) and Harrods celebrated the official opening of the Harrods Tea Room at Hamad International Airport (HIA) on 12 December 2019. HIA is the word’s first airport to house a Harrods Tea Room, adding to the two existing Harrods signature stores.

The Harrods Tea Room offers passengers a range of Harrods specialties including a selection of teas from the Harrods Food Halls and a pastries menu. It also features an ice-cream parlour. The design is inspired by the store in Knightsbridge, London and boasts classic style furniture with curved backs and stitching details, brass finishing on tables and lighting. The tea room also features Herringbone timber flooring and classic traditional tiling with elements of abstract peacock theme to tie in with the London Food Hall.

TRBusiness joined a host of dignitaries at the inauguration which was attended by H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and officiated by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, HIA Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Harrods Director, Raj Assanand and Qatar Duty Free Vice President Operations Thabet Musleh.

H.E Ajay Sharma, British Ambassador to Qatar was also in attendance alongside VIP guests and officials, including senior representatives from Qatar Investment Authority.

Announcing the arrival of the Harrods Tea Room, London Fanfare Trumpets were sounded as H.E. Al Baker proceeded to cut the ribbon. Guests were then invited to explore the tea room and taste various Harrods dishes including British favourites such as fish and chips and a signature Harrods Tea Menu against the backdrop of a live classical jazz performance.

‘A WORLD FIRST’

H.E. Al Baker said: “I am incredibly proud to be here today as Qatar Duty Free officially opens the Harrods Tea Room at HIA — a world first for an airport. Harrods is an iconic British brand that is all about the customer experience from start to finish and in this regard, it is the perfect partner for Qatar Duty Free and the wider Qatar Airways group.

“With 10.7 million passengers travelling through HIA in the last quarter of 2019, the Harrods brand is already reaching an audience of substantial proportions. The new Harrods Tea Room further compliments the two Harrods signature stores already in operation in the airport.”

Assanand said:  “Harrods is a London institution, but has always been global in its outlook. The new Harrods Tea Room is the next natural stage in our long relationship with HIA and Qatar Duty Free, a partnership which has allowed us to bring the Harrods experience to even more of our international customers. As one of the major gateway airports in the world, we are delighted to continue to work with HIA and Qatar Duty Free to bring the finest Harrods experiences to a new audience of global travellers.”

Al Meer remarked: “We are pleased to welcome Harrods Tea Room to Hamad International Airport, making us the exclusive host airport of such a prestigious name. We’ve had a long-standing and successful partnership with Harrods, which is one of the most reputable brands in the world.

“We aim to provide a world-class passenger experience through our multi-dimensional lifestyle offerings. HIA and QDF, therefore, work together with brand partners to explore and implement innovative retail concepts at the airport to curate memorable retail experiences for travellers. We look forward to welcoming more brands, both local and international, into our award-winning terminal, giving them the opportunity to be showcased to a global audience of more than 35 million passengers every year.”

Musleh said it was a great honour to be associated with an ‘iconic global brand’ that is synonymous with luxury and service.“We are delighted to officially open the Harrods Tea Room at the heart of our award-winning global hub. The Harrods Tea Room at HIA has developed bespoke dishes that fuse the much loved English classics with unique traditional Qatari flavours.

“It is very fitting that this partnership with Harrods, a Qatari owned brand, marks the first in a series of events at HIA to celebrate Qatar National Day on 18 December. Across the month of December, our customers will be able to discover a special menu of Qatari inspired dishes at the Harrods Tea Room in celebration of Qatar National Day. Travellers will also be able to enjoy various performances, activities, shopping and dining offers throughout the airport.”