I visited the Four Seasons Doha to inspect the hotel for an upcoming meeting I was planning and I was totally shocked by the service I received. The Four Seasons is legendary for service towards their in-house guests, but after this experience, I'm questioning whether I would even want to be one.

With due respect, the hotel was lovely and immaculately managed. The style was more European in feel than Middle Eastern that I had expected. While the staff at the porte-cochre and reception were wonderfully welcoming and helpful, the same cannot be said with the sales team and the concierge who were condescending in their tone and attitude.

I had expected much more from the Four Seasons, but it is disappointing meeting with staff for the first time, who say hi, then ask, what event are you doing here?, how many people? and who will be paying? Throughout the walk through in the hotel, I was constantly reminded about minimum revenues for the different spaces and even without prompting, a defence that if their policy was complicated, that "that is how we operate". It was all about the money.

The walk through was rushed, a very distracted team, and there wasn't an offer to even show the guest rooms, ask where I had come from, why I visited the Four Seasons, let alone an offer to ask where I was heading to. In short, unlike full paying hotel guests, I didn't feel that genuine sense of care, concern, attention to details that most guests have expressed here. Rather, I felt as if I owed them a favour by requesting the hotel inspection and that they had better things elsewhere to do.

With multiple top five star hotels opening in Doha in the coming years, the Four Seasons will need to step up its game. Lets hope non-paying guests enjoy the legedary Four Seasons service throughout the property, rather than just at the entrance.