Jebel Sifah is one of two developments from Muriya Tourism Development totalling 13 hotels and 2900 rooms. Jebel Sifah is one of two developments from Muriya Tourism Development totalling 13 hotels and 2900 rooms.

For example, last year Dubai’s Jumeirah Group signed a management agreement with Saraya Bandar Jissah SAOH to operate a luxury resort in Muscat, marking the hotelier’s first property in the Sultanate.

Saraya Bandar Jissah is a joint project between Omran, Oman’s tourism development and investment arm and Saraya Oman, a subsidiary of Saraya Holdings, with the property currently under development and expected to open in 2017.

Another new face coming to the Oman market is the Alila Hotels & Resorts Group, which is set to open its first Middle East hotel in Oman in Q2, 2014. Located in the Hajar Mountains and set 2000 metres above sea level, the Alila Jabal Akhdar Hotel will be part of Alila’s Lifestyle Collection.

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Speaking about their new venture Alila’s president Mark Edleson says: “Alila is delighted to have been chosen to manage such a prestigious and unique hotel in such a breathtaking location. The Jabal Akhdar region is perfect for our first foray into the Middle East. Its combination of interesting natural eco-systems, physical beauty and intriguing history and culture perfectly fit within our development philosophy”.

Another development, Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments, is due for completion by the second quarter of 2014, while last year Sundus Investments Projects, a specialist in mixed-use developments in the Middle East, signed an agreement with Rotana Hotel Management to manage its new project Sundus Arjaan by Rotana.

Speaking at the announcement of the project, Sundus Investments Projects chairman Mohammed Mahfood Saad Al Ardhi explained how their development was aiming to tie in directly with Oman’s ambitious mandate for the tourism sector as outlined in Vision 2020.

“Our projects in Oman are in line with the overall objective of the National Tourism Development Plan that prioritises the social and economic development of the Sultanate,” says Al Ardhi.

“It also supports Oman’s Vision 2020 that aims, among other things, to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the economy by achieving an annual GDP growth of 7.4% and bring in about 12 million tourists annually by 2020. As part of Sundus Investments’ commitment to this goal, we are looking at launching a series of hospitality projects across Oman in the short term,” he adds.

There is some development in the mid-market, with Rezidor planning a Park Inn-branded property in Duqm and Premier Inn to launch in Muscat.

In this segment, Fady Abi Khalil, general manager of Golden Tulip Seeb Oman, in Muscat, says he is confident of his hotel’s ability to perform in a luxury dominated market.

“The hotel market is not yet crowded, and the ministry of tourism listens to all hoteliers. At the moment the ADR is acceptable, especially for three- and four-star hotels, so owners are looking to have a three- or four-star hotel, more than a five-star hotel, when looking at the return on investment” Khalil asserts.

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