Gordon MacKenzie. Pic: Amr Diab
Hosting the Japanese team for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was a great experience, and the team displayed exemplary characters, making them one of the best-behaved groups of guests the Radisson Blu Doha has ever had in its history, the General Manager of the Radisson Blu Doha, Gordon MacKenzie, has said.
“This was not our first time hosting a football team, as Qatar has grown into a major global sporting hub, hosting several tournaments before now, and we’ve been a part of the country’s sporting prowess over the years.”
“But I could boldly say that the Japanese team was highly exceptional. They were one of the first sets of teams to arrive for the tournament, and from the time the first batch arrived at our doorstep at around 5am on November 10 until they left after their round of 16 loss to Croatia, they made their impact felt with their remarkable behaviour and attitude,” MacKenzie said. He noted that the team was highly disciplined, friendly, and without any air of arrogance around them.
MacKenzie, an experienced hotelier with several decades of experience under his belt, noted that the hotel did a special welcome event for the team on their arrival at the hotel, which was well appreciated by their fans and the Japanese public back home.
“We did a total of three welcoming events for them. One was for the first batch of players, who were mostly based in Japan, and the other was for the second batch of foreign-based players, who arrived later. “We then had to do the third one on request from FIFA, who asked us to do a welcome for the entire Japanese team, administration, and players, because they wanted that for their own records,” the general manager of the Radisson Blu Doha explained.
MacKenzie added that Radisson Blu Doha was privileged to not only host the team but also the administrators, families of the team members, and fans who were lodged in the West Wing of the hotel.
“Our hotel was more or less locked down for Japan during the tournament, though we had other guests as well. We are very fortunate to have two different wings, which ensured the privacy of the players as the teams were separated from the fans and families. There was no doubt that they all enjoyed their stay with us. The tournament was more successful for Japan than many had anticipated as the team advanced from the group stages but were unfortunate not to reach the quarterfinals,” he noted.
Speaking about the feedback received from the team after their experience in Qatar, MacKenzie noted that the team was well appreciative of the services rendered to them and their experience of the World Cup.
“They gave very positive reviews of the tournament and the wonderful hospitality they received. They had no complaints, neither during their stay nor after they left. It was such a wonderful experience, not just for them but for us as their hosts as well,” he said.
MacKenzie applauded Qatar for organising one of the best FIFA World Cups in history, which has shut the mouths of critics and doubters.
“Before the tournament, many never believed that Qatar could pull off such a feat, but in the end, the tournament was adjudged by many to be the best FIFA World Cup so far. It was a fitting end to several years of planning and meticulous attention to details. Kudos to Qatar for such a wonderful tournament,” the Radisson Blu Doha general manager added.
