FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2014
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT:
Fawaz Mohamed
Corporate Communication Executive
+974 30099857
Hyatt Plaza launched Qatar’s first mall walking club
Weather conditions are no longer an excuse to stop the pursuit of healthy lifestyle, as Hyatt Plaza Shopping
mall rolls out Qatar’s first and only dedicated mall walking club, Hyatt Plaza walking club. The unique
initiative is organized in cooperation with Aspire Zone and is aimed to cultivate a daily walking culture
among the families where they can walk in a calm, safe and secure indoor environment with their loved
ones.
“Families and health enthusiasts can now enjoy a stroll in our shopping mall and get rewarded twice. While
the first reward is a healthy living through daily calorie burns, the second one is our unique value offerings
like the monthly free health checks, information sessions, gift vouchers and pedometers” said Mr. Fuad
Shaqadan, Manager, Leasing and Marketing, Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall. Customers can register
themselves at the customer service desk of Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall and collect their membership cards.
Mr. Shaqadan explained the four main objectives of launching Hyatt Plaza walking club as:
1. Contribute in creating a healthy nation and strengthen the fight against rising obesity, diabetes and
health related issues.
2. Provide a safe, secure and climate controlled venue for the people to walk, throughout the year,
regardless of weather changes.
3. Encourage the culture of walking regularly among our customers and community at large
4. Develop a local community of people who are committed to living a healthy lifestyle.
“The alarming rates of health related challenges like obesity and diabetes in our country is a wake-up call
for all of us and as a socially responsible shopping mall, we take it up as our responsibility to create an
environment that promotes healthy living” said Mr. Shaqadan.
In association with the Step into Health team of Aspire Zone, Hyatt Plaza will conduct free basic health
checks and health related information sessions on the second Saturday of every month. Abdulla Saeed AlMohannadi, Health Promotion Researcher at Aspetar said “It was the goal of Step Into Health program
since it was launched in December 2012 to inspire all members of the community to take simple steps, that
will eventually create significant changes in their lifestyle making them healthier and more active. Hence,
we also initiated “Walk More… Walk the Mall” last year , which aims to spread the culture of walking for
health in the malls, encourage them to adopt the idea of health-promoting malls in the country and
contribute towards providing a safe context for physical activity."
Al-Mohannadi added: "we are excited that others in the community took our program as a source of
inspiration for new initiatives that encourage walking. Therefore, it was important for us to partner with
Hyatt Plaza in this unique initiative inaugurating the club for walking to overcome the different weather
conditions in summer or winter, turn a walk to usually societal habit and create an atmosphere of continuity
and encouragement. So, we provide free pedometers , experts from the Aspetar will be doing health checks,
and trainers from Aspire active of the Aspire Academy will be also available for coaching and mentoring.
We hope that our contribution would help encourage the initiative of the walking club and enhance their
ability to attract a larger audience, and we hope that this culture would extend to other institutions in the
community.”
To motivate the mall walkers further, the mall will also provide an opportunity for the participating
members to win gift vouchers on the last Saturday of every month. The mechanism is so designed that
people who chose to walk more days in a month will have more opportunities of winning the monthly gifts.
“Our efforts will complement and support the country’s vision of creating a healthy nation.” Said Mr. Feroz
Moideen, General Manager, Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall. “We believe, as a public place, shopping malls
can do much more to the community than just provide shopping options. Hyatt Plaza always strives to lead
by example through the launch of various initiatives that adds value to the society. We are humbled that all
our efforts, the latest one being, Hyatt Plaza walking Club, were well received by our customers and
society at large”
More than 300 people registered themselves for the mall walk, since its launch on Qatar National Sports
day. The members are encouraged to walk everyday from 08.00 AM to 11.00 AM. “We will open all the
gates early, so that our mall walkers will have easy access to the mall” concluded Mr. Shaqadan. Customers
can get more information, including the complete mechanism of Hyatt Plaza Walking Club by contacting
Hyatt Plaza customer service desk at 44999666 or visiting Hyatt Plaza website.
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About Hyatt Plaza: Strategically located in one of Doha’s popular destination, Al Waab street,
Hyatt Plaza has been catering to families in Qatar since 2003. The family-oriented shopping center
offers local and international retail, entertainment, and food outlets, including Géant Hypermarket,
Homes R Us, Highland, Pari Gallery, and Kiddy Zone. In addition to being Doha's leading retail,
dining, and leisure spot, Hyatt Plaza is also home to Jungle Zone - the city’s most popular
children’s indoor theme park. Lush green surroundings, shaded parking, and a family-friendly
ambience complete the shopping experience at Hyatt Plaza, making it the ideal family shopping
destination in the country.