Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments is entering the final phase of development and is set to welcome its first guests by the third quarter of 2014, having originally been slated to open in Q2.

Owned by Mustafa Sultan Enterprises LLC and operated by Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), the development has been designed to meet the critical needs of the growing tourism industry, offering an alcohol-free, safe environment.

Abdulredha M. Sultan, managing director, Mustafa Sultan, said: "Despite being the diplomatic and commercial centre, Qurum continues to be underserved by hospitality options and Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments is poised to fill this need for first rate accommodation.

“We are glad to have HMH as our operator. Over the years Coral Hotels & Resorts has established an excellent reputation in the region offering the highest standards in hospitality with the right local know-how and expertise and we are confident Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments will not only live up to but surpass market expectations."

Located in Qurum, 20 minutes-drive from Muscat International Airport, the property features 88 furnished rooms and apartments. On site is an international all-day-dining restaurant, pool deck, terrace lounge, meeting venues as well as leisure facilities.

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Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO, HMH, said: "Oman is certainly a very promising market and it is very exciting to be here. We believe Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments will serve as the perfect ambassador for our brand demonstrating its strength and unique appeal for travellers seeking our signature hospitality.

“Visitations are likely to increase exponentially from 2015 once new Muscat airport is operational and we are definitely keen to take advantage of this massive opportunity by expanding our footprint here".

The Omani government’s Vision 2020 plan aims to increase its room count to 20,000 rooms by 2015 and welcome 12mn visitors annually by 2020, an increase well above 2,184,000 visitors in 2013.

To meet the growing demand the number of hotel rooms in the Muscat governorate could reach between 5,000 and 6,000 by 2015, ranging from three- to five-stars.

The ministry of tourism forecasts 3,000 rooms to open by end of 2014. While the World Travel & Tourism Council expects the tourism sector to contribute 9.9% by 2019 to the Sultanate’s gross domestic product, up from 6.7% in 2009.