On a promontory jutting into the Persian Gulf, the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel is an outlier among the skinny skyscrapers that dominate the skyline of Doha, Qatar’s capital. In 1982 the country’s ruling Al Thani family ordered the construction of the five-star hotel, with its private beach and opulent marble lobby. Today the site functions as both luxury resort and nerve center of crisis diplomacy. Here warring factions from the Taliban and African militias have convened, and diplomats from Russia, the US and Iran have crossed paths in hallways.
The only-in-Qatar milieu embodies how the royal family parlays its wealth into geopolitical influence, most recently as a key mediator for the Israel-Hamas war. The rulers have turned Qatar into a vital energy supplier, prominent investor, World Cup host, university funder and conflict intermediary—occasionally tinged with controversy involving corruption allegations or human-rights concerns. Yet their strategic spending ultimately comes back to one thing: building Qatar into an international brand that can underpin its existence and the family’s longevity.
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