The Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) is on track to deliver three new hotels, adding 900 new rooms in 2017/18, the company said in a statement.
The hotels include the five-star W hotel currently under construction alongside the expansion of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, as well as the JW Marriott and four-star Crowne Plaza located at upcoming development, Madinat Al Irfan Urban Centre.
Omran chief project officer and head of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre development Said bin Mohammed Al Qasmi said: “The new business hub at Madinat Al Irfan Urban development is going to be a new urban fabric introduced into Muscat, offering a multitude of opportunities in Oman for residents and visitors alike.
“The opening of both JW Marriot and Crowne Plaza next year will continue the initial stage of phase one of this development, adding another dimension to the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.”
He added: “By having these fantastic hotels on-site to complement the world-class OCEC facility, it means there are already assets on the ground at the Madinat Al Irfan Urban development. Projects of this size often focus on doing a lot off-plan, but this is not the case with Al Irfan. We’ve begun phase one, and investors can see progress and tangible facilities already in place.”
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Omran says that the OCEC and the wider Madinat Al Irfan development are central to the Oman Government’s strategy to diversify the national economy.
The two properties on the OCEC site, the JW Marriott and the Crowne Plaza, are being built to the highest environmental sustainability standards and as with all projects under construction by Omran and within OCEC, are designed to meet the criteria for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the company said.
Also conforming to LEED certification is the 290-key W Hotel.
CEO of Omran’s project development subsidiary, Bunyan, Nasser Bin Mohammed Al Maqbali said: “These three international brand hotels are the first stage in Omran’s reinvigoration of the segment as we work with the public and private sectors to establish a robust platform for Oman to grow steadily and sustainably.”
“The long-term benefit is going to be a much needed stabilising of prices, bringing hotel rates in-line with other regions and incentivising the hotel market in the Sultanate to be much more efficient. Short term pressure is a possibility, but Omran is looking to build a long-term, sustainable industry, and these new hotels are critical to achieving that,” he added.
The three new properties are set to open in 2017 and 2018, following the exhibition halls opening of the OCEC later this year.
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