AccorHotels to launch first Novotel in Oman

Hospitality giant AccorHotels has announced the signing of a management agreement with Al Anwar Holdings for the first Novotel hotel in the sultanate.

Opening in 2020, the 200-room Novotel Muscat Azaiba will be the closest internationally branded midscale hotel to the Oman Exhibition & Convention Centre, the company said in a statement.

Olivier Granet, managing director and chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East and Africa, who ranked second on Hotelier Middle East Power 50 2017 list said: “Our agreement with Al Anwar Holdings marks the beginning of a trusted partnership and the strategic expansion of our signature upper-midscale brand.

"With the brand’s entry into Oman, the Novotel Muscat Azaiba will join over 30 operational and pipeline properties under the brand, making Novotel the largest mid-market brand in the Middle East.”

Massoud Al Harthy, chairman of Al Anwar Holdings, added: “As Oman takes great strides in economic diversification, we see a major opportunity to grow our portfolio through a focus in hospitality.”

The hotel will also offer a gym, spa, swimming pool and a variety of dining outlets plus 400 square metres of meeting space.

In the Middle East, AccorHotels currently operates more than 100 hotels, encompassing over 31,000 rooms, in addition to almost 90 hotels under development. The network is expected to double in size, bringing over 50,000 rooms in operation and pipeline to the region.

AccorHotels recently signed a hotel management agreement (HMA) with Noral, a private group in Ivory Coast, for a combined 200-room Novotel and 110-apartments Adagio complex, in the capital city of Abidjan.