Adaptable, efficient accommodation solutions
Initiative description: Identifying and implementing creative temporary solutions to address the short-term spike in demand for accommodation during the staging of the tournament.
Qatar had a significant number of permanent accommodation options, in the form of hotels and hotel apartments, that served to accommodate most visitors, participants, workforce and partner groups during the tournament. However, a shortage was identified early on in the planning due to the compact nature of the tournament and the resulting short-term spike in demand for accommodation. It was therefore important that temporary solutions were implemented to serve this peak without creating an oversupply of permanent accommodation options that would be underutilised after the tournament.
By using the permanent accommodation supply and tournament specific temporary solutions, Qatar put in place solutions to accommodate the anticipated number of fans visiting Qatar with over 130,000 rooms made available at a range of prices. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) appointed an accommodation agency to sell all accommodation via a dedicated platform that provided ticketholders a “one-stop-shop” for browsing and booking accommodation in Qatar. The available stock reached 90% occupancy at peak (excluding third party direct sales), so rooms were always available.
To avoid an excess of permanent accommodation post FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, innovative solutions for temporary accommodation to complement existing permanent accommodation at tournament-time were identified. The types of accommodation are included in the table below.
In addition to the stock managed by the accommodation agency, visitors could choose to stay with family and friends. With more than 145,000 people using this option, it became a highly popular low-cost option.
While there was enough accommodation in Qatar for the tournament demands, daily shuttle flights were put in place to facilitate the attendance of regional fans and fans deciding to book accommodation in other countries in the region. Qatar always looked for the event to be a regional event, therefore the shuttles enabled visitors to experience other cities in the region.