The programme includes redesigned common areas intended to improve comfort, accessibility and navigation. The tenant mix will change as well. Primark is due to open its first store in Qatar, Ulta Beauty will join the line-up, and Zara plans an expansion and refurbishment of its flagship location inside the shopping centre.
A substantial part of the project is devoted to food and beverage. New restaurants, cafes and concepts are planned across both everyday and more premium categories. The objective is to create additional social spaces and encourage guests to spend longer at the destination, rather than simply increasing the number of commercial units.
The technology layer includes a digital assistant, an artificial-intelligence-enabled building management system, environmental monitoring and more efficient air-conditioning controls. Smart parking is expected to provide real-time information, guide motorists more clearly and improve traffic flow as vehicles enter and leave the site.
Festival Touch, a new service approach included in the programme, is intended to provide more personal attention, thoughtful interactions and a more consistent visitor experience in different parts of the mall. Its effect will depend on staff training and on whether the same service standards are maintained across participating businesses.
Doha Festival City says it received 20 million visitors in 2025. Traffic on that scale places significant pressure on parking, cooling, maintenance and wayfinding in a large complex. Investment in operational technology may therefore be as important to everyday comfort as the arrival of new brands or the visual redesign of shared spaces.
The QR400mn figure is a combined investment framework covering Doha Festival City and the retail partners involved, not a single construction contract. The programme brings together renovations to common areas, changes within individual stores, additional dining, new technology and customer service measures in one multi-stage transformation.