Lancôme Café de la Rose opens at Doha Hamad International Airport
Lancôme has launched Café de la Rose at Doha Hamad International Airport (HIA) in partnership with Qatar Duty Free (QDF), introducing what the partners describe as “a first-of-its-kind concept in global travel retail.”
Located in the airport’s new Concourse D, the activation brings the brand’s Paris flagship experience to the Middle East, combining skincare, fragrance and gastronomy in a single retail environment. The space, “inspired by Lancôme’s iconic rose and signature pink palette,” integrates product discovery with hospitality through a 28-seat café serving pastries created exclusively for the brand by Lenôtre Pastry Chef and World Pastry Champion Étienne Leroy.
Travellers can explore Lancôme’s collections, with particular focus on the Absolue range, and take part in complimentary skincare consultations and “interactive fragrance journeys.” Each table features “ceramic oud bouquet dispensers” and a “signature fragrance unique to Café de la Rose.” Visitors engaging with Absolue Les Parfums receive a “personalised fragrance passport.”
Chef Leroy’s menu includes reinterpretations of Lenôtre classics alongside a new dessert, “La Rose Agora, pear & lychee,” designed as a tribute to the brand’s emblematic rose.
The launch forms part of a wider “pentarchy partnership” between L’Oréal Travel Retail and Qatar Duty Free, described as bringing together “airline, airport, retailer, brand and group” to deliver experience-led activations. The initiative is supported by Qatar Airways’ customer channels, including CRM campaigns, mobile app integration and “branded activations across Hamad International Airport” such as digital screens and branded vehicles.
The opening follows recent luxury brand activations at HIA, including Dior’s spa and Louis Vuitton’s private lounge, reinforcing the airport’s role as a leading global hub for premium travel retail experiences.
Qatar Airways Group chief retail & hospitality officer Thabet Musleh says: “Café de la Rose is a perfect example of how our partnerships allow us to bring world-class brands and exceptional concepts to our passengers.”
L’Oréal Travel Retail president Emmanuel Goulin says: “The Café de la Rose in Doha embodies a major strategic ambition for L’Oréal Travel Retail to turn the airport into an Entertaining Destination.”