What is Qatar Airways Holidays and is it worth it?

Qatar Airways A380 (https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/3/1/3/6139313.jpg?v=v499d2c4a9de)

Does it make sense to book travel packages through travel providers (or in this case, an airline) instead of individually? This is what I wanted to find out in this article.

First up, there are certainly good arguments to be made on both sides. Especially when it comes to the level of customization and individuality, there is just no matching of booking flights, accommodation and other items separately.

However, given the scale and scope of some travel operators, there can be some interesting benefits when you go through such a website. Here are some I could think of:

1. Cost Savings: Vacation packages often come with bundled pricing, which can result in significant cost savings compared to booking flights, accommodations, and activities separately. Travel agencies and online platforms negotiate deals with airlines, hotels, and other service providers, passing on these discounts to customers.

2. Convenience: Planning a trip can be time-consuming and stressful, especially when organizing multiple bookings. Vacation packages streamline the process by combining flights, accommodations, transportation, and activities into one convenient booking. This eliminates the need to coordinate various reservations separately.

3. Added Value: Many vacation packages include additional perks or amenities, such as complimentary meals, guided tours, airport transfers, or discounted tickets to attractions. These extras enhance the overall travel experience and provide added value for the money spent.

4. Peace of Mind: Booking a vacation package can provide peace of mind knowing that all essential aspects of the trip are taken care of in advance. This includes knowing the itinerary, having accommodations secured, and having assistance available from the travel provider in case of any issues or emergencies during the trip.

5. Customization Options: While vacation packages offer convenience and cost savings, they also often allow for customization to suit individual preferences. Travelers can choose from a range of package options, such as different accommodation types, flight classes, or activity add-ons, to tailor the trip to their specific needs and preferences.

However, to put this to the test, let’s compare 3 vacation packages to see if the price comparison holds up. How much do you truly save when booking through e.g. Qatar Airways Holidays versus booking individually?

The first trip: New York - Doha - Male, June 2024, 6 nights

For the time I am looking to book, Qatar Airways Holidays offers 38 hotels in the Maldives, including brand hotels such as the St. Regis, the Fairmont, etc.

For the sake of this example, let’s go with the Fairmont hotel. Do note that the price displayed here is per person, meaning that you’ll likely pay double the price if you are not planning to travel all by yourself.

Oh, and the Fairmont marked as a “Hot Deal”. Not sure, what that exactly means here, but it sounds promising.

Next is the selection of the flights. For the dates I put in, Qatar is offering 6 different flight options.

After selecting a flight, you get shown your booking summary. We are at a total of USD 8,367 (double the package price per person, as I am assuming traveling with 2 people).

Now, mind you that on the entire package spending you will earn Avios miles, which can be a nice way to boost your earnings. On the other hand, you will not earn hotel chain points and might not benefit from your loyalty status with the chosen hotel, so this might make more sense if you are planning on going to a hotel outside of your usual chains.

But how does the total cost now compare?

Let me plug in the exact same dates and choose the same flights and see how we’ll do:

First, we will need to book the flights. I would book this straight with Qatar Airways as the hassle of having to discuss with 3rd party travel operators, such as Airpaz or Expedia in case of any issues is often not worth the discount.

Google Flights is showing me the cost for the exact same flight via Qatar Airways at USD 2,422.

Next, let’s check on the hotel. Through the Fairmont Maldives website we get the following quote. This is where it gets a bit more difficult. We can choose the same room type, a Luxury Tented Jungle Villa With Private Pool. HOWEVER, Qatar Airways Holidays is only offering non-refundable rates and no half- or full-board options for this specific booking.

On the other hand, the Fairmont website does only offer a flexible rate with half- and full-board options.

So, please keep the differences in mind when we compare the cost:

Qatar Airways Holidays:
- Non-refundable rate
- Only breakfast

Direct booking with Fairmont:
- Flexible rate
- Half- and full-board options

Counting all the costs together, how do the options compare:

Through Qatar Airways Holidays: USD 8,367

Through Qatar Airways + Fairmont Hotels: USD 2,422 x2 + USD 4,895 = USD 9,739

Alright, this is quite a difference! We are seeing savings of around $1,500 if we go with the Qatar Airways Holidays package. Now, keep in mind that one is a non-refundable rate while the other is not. Whether this (and that the half-board is not included in the rate yet) is worth the $1,500 is a tough decision.

But this could just be an outlier. So let’s examine another example:

The second trip: Chicago - Doha - Zanzibar, September 2024, 5 nights

Next try: Let’s hop over to Africa! How about a week at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar? Same game here - we select the destination and dates, we select the hotel and the flights (Please ignore the long flight duration - I just want to select something as an example).

In total, Qatar Airways Holidays is quoting us a total cost of USD 6,401. This includes the return economy flights and 5 nights at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar for 2 people in a Park King room with breakfast included and as a flexible rate.

On a side note, this booking would earn us 6,405 Avios, so a slight bit above 1 Avios per Dollar.

The flights booked directly with Qatar Airways would cost us USD 1,604 per person.

A comparable rate at the Park Hyatt for the same room type with breakfast will set us back USD 2,876

Counting all the costs together and we get the following figures:

Through Qatar Airways Holidays: USD 6,401

Through Qatar Airways + Hyatt: USD 1,604 x 2 + USD 2,876 = USD 6,080

Okay, this is looking more reasonable. The difference of around $300 comes down to one question you might want to ask yourself: Do I want the hassle to talk to different travel entities if e.g. something is wrong or I have to cancel my trip?

With Qatar Airways Holidays, you have one company that handles everything and offers quite generous cancellation options. With individual bookings, you’d have to work around the policies and support hotlines of Qatar Airways and Hyatt - only you can decide how much the convenience is worth to you.

The Third trip: Dallas - Doha, October 2024, 5 nights

Maybe my mistake was to not focus on the obvious travel region that could offer an advantage - Qatar itself. So this time, let’s simulate a trip in October and we are kicking it up a notch: Business Class!

Qatar Airways certainly has one of the best business class experiences in the world. For the hotel, we are going for the more modest Hilton Doha.

USD 15,849 sounds like quite a hefty price! However, let’s compare it to the individual bookings. Google quotes me USD 14,070 for a Business

For the room type, I selected one that I can also choose on the Hilton website - a flexible King Sea View Room with the breakfast included. Our Qatar Airways Holidays package comes to a total of USD 31,698.

Hilton’s member rate (which you can get if you simply join their HHonors loyalty program for free) comes to a 3,895 Qatari Riyal, which is roughly USD 1,070.

If we add up all the costs we get the following:

Through Qatar Airways Holidays: USD 31,698

Through Qatar Airways + Hyatt: USD 14,070 x 2 + USD 1,070 = USD 29,210

Here we can see quite a difference in favor of the individual bookings - around $2,400 or a bit over 10% of the total trip price. Of course, if you can afford to book such an expensive trip, you might value the convenience of having a single point of contact much higher than the ~10% extra cost that you’d otherwise save if you booked flights and accommodation separately.

Who is the target audience for Qatar Airways Holidays?

While anyone of course benefits from a lower price on their flights and hotels when booked together, I can also see the advantages of such package deals even if the price is higher than the individual bookings.

Less seasoned travelers or people who prefer simplicity and having a single point of contact might prefer this over the stress of finding flights and hotels themselves and dealing with the aftermath of flight delays and hotel cancelations in case of any issues.

Of course, make sure that you compare the prices to the individual bookings to ensure that you are not paying too much of a premium. Nevertheless, if you prefer it simple, you might want to check out Qatar Airways Holidays packages for your next trip.