Questions worth answering upfront

Is the Trip Assistant actually AI, or just a form?

It's a real conversational flow with a scoring engine behind it — your answers on interests, budget, and trip length genuinely change the itinerary, hotel picks, and travel-window suggestion you get. It runs entirely in your browser rather than calling an external AI model, so it's fast and works without any account.

Can I actually book anything through 25 North?

No — 25 North never processes a booking or payment. The Trip Assistant will suggest flights, hotels, and activities, but every one of those hands off to the airline, hotel, or operator's own site to complete. Think of it as the planning layer, not the checkout.

Is the information on this site accurate?

Real entities (hotels, restaurants, museums) are researched from official sources and kept honest — we mark contact details as unavailable rather than guess, and flag anything we found listed as closed. That said, this is a concept/demo build, not a live production service: always confirm details like open hours, prices, and current status directly before you travel.

Do I need a visa for Qatar?

Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival or apply online, and many Qatar Airways layovers qualify for a free transit visa — but exact eligibility depends on your passport and connection length. Check the Plan Your Trip page for the basics, and confirm your specific situation with Qatar's immigration authority or Qatar Airways before you fly.

Can I trust the star ratings and reviews?

They're real, in the sense that nothing is fabricated — every listing starts with zero reviews, and any rating you see was actually submitted by a visitor. Reviews are saved to a real, shared database, so you'll see what other visitors wrote, and yours will show up for them too. There's no account system, though, so names are self-reported and unverified.

I only have a few hours in Doha on a layover — is this still useful?

Yes — the Trip Assistant has a dedicated layover mode. Tell it how many hours you have between flights and it'll give you honest, time-realistic guidance: sometimes that means recommending you stay in the airport (Hamad International has real amenities worth knowing about), and sometimes it means a short trip into the city with a built-in safety buffer before your next flight.

Do you store my personal data?

Saved favorites and a newsletter signup are stored locally in your own browser (localStorage), not sent to a server. Reviews are the exception — since they're meant to be seen by other visitors, they're saved to a real, shared database instead. Clear your browser data and your favorites and newsletter entry disappear, but a review you've posted stays visible to others. There's no account system and nothing is tracked across devices.

Why isn't there real photography on the site?

25 North uses an original illustration system instead of stock photos or images pulled from other travel sites — partly a style choice, partly to avoid using imagery that isn't ours to use.