Oman expects boost in hotel development in 2013/2014
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Oman expects to open several new hotels and complexes with more than 2,000 resort and hotel rooms to be added in 2013.
The City of Muscat will see majority of growth with over 720 new rooms, with the rest spread evenly across the country. New hotel openings in 2013 include Fraser Place Sohar which is currently on track to open later on in 2013 and the Azaiba Hotel, Muscat, a US$80mn five-star project that is expected to be operational by mid-2013.
The Sultanate’s expanding hotel portfolio will soon include Four Seasons, Banyan Tree Hotels and Hotel Missoni in Muscat’s Jebel Sifah project. Omran recently announced that it has passed the 60% construction mark of its 2,000 metre hilltop luxury project, the Alila Jabal Akhdar Resort, set to open its doors in December 2013 and the 110-room Khasab Hotel in Musandam is also set to open towards the end of 2013.
These developments are in addition to boutique hotels that opened in 2012 including the five-star Juweira Boutique Hotel, Salalah Beach, The View and Sahab Hotel in the Jebel Akhdar mountain range and the Jebel Sifah boutique hotel near Muscat. Following the Sultanate’s sustainable tourism model, Omran recently completed installation and furnishing of ten eco-friendly luxury tents at Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve. This also includes an 800 metre walkway that enables visitors to move from the reserve’s Scientific and Visitor Centre to the tents’ picturesque location. The Duqm City Hotel, a 117-room business hotel recently opened which caters to business travellers.