The Wave Muscat still seeking four-star operator

The project team behind The Wave, Muscat development in Oman is still on the hunt for an operator for its four-star hotel offering.

The Wave, Muscat deputy CEO Abdulla Al Shidi said the eventual operators would benefit from the property’s proximity to the airport.

“We should be able to capture transient passengers. Therefore, we are currently reviewing designs and potential operators for a four-star entry level property, with approximately 180 keys,” Al Shidi stated.

However, despite the mixed-use project having already welcomed its first residents, the first hotel guests won’t be staying at The Wave, Muscat until 2013.

Management agreements were signed with Kempinski and Fairmont to operate two five-star properties, previously scheduled to start operating in 2010.

However, due to delays, the hotel openings were pushed back

“Both Kempinski and Fairmont will be positioned as five-star properties. The current opening date for the first hotel is first quarter 2013, with the next property opening approximately nine to 12 months later,” Al Shidi explained.

When asked about the delays of the hotel openings, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts vice president regional hotel sales MEA Kent Cooper commented: “The Wave is on track — it’s still in design phase. We have it slotted in for first quarter / second quarter 2013”.

However, while acknowledging there had been “some changes in the original master plan”, Al Shidi added that these were “not necessarily dictated by the financial security and stability” of the project.