20 July 2017

By A E JAMES

Muscat: Al Khonji Real Estate and Development (Aqar), a leading real-estate company in Oman, plans to build a three-star category business hotel in Duqm, which will have 180 to 200 rooms, as part of a large mix-use development.

“Hopefully, within a year, we will start work on the hotel,” Qaboos bin Abdullah Al Khonji, managing director of Al Khonji Real Estate and Development, told the Times of Oman.

The hotel project is the first venture in a massive mix-use development, which includes two other hotels, residential units, commercial buildings and retail facilities of varying sizes.

A Memorandum of Understanding was already signed for the first hotel, which will be a business hotel, and there are plans for two other hotels.

Duqm is witnessing massive development with a proposed refinery, petrochemical complex, crude storage facility and a major fish processing zone. The Duqm refinery, which is a joint venture between Oman and Kuwait, will award its main Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract soon.

Besides, a group of Chinese firms had signed land lease agreements with Oman Wanfang LLC in April for building various projects, ranging from a methanol venture to a five-star hotel, totalling an investment of $3.06 billion.

All these developments will not only prop up the overall business activities in the upcoming industrial zone, but also enhance business travellers.

The existing hotel rooms will not be sufficient for accommodating business travellers, who are going to visit Duqm once all these projects take shape.

The proposed residential units of the Al Khonji group, which is a long-term plan, will be a mix of villas and apartments.

The total envisaged investment for the entire development of Al Khonji group in Duqm for a period of 15 to 20 years is around OMR300 million, while the investment for the first three-star hotel is estimated at OMR10 to 12 million, added Al Khonji.

“Our business plan is for 15 to 20 years, but it will depend on growth in demand and the performance of the economy. We are working on developing hotels, residential buildings, shopping centres and many other facilities,” noted Al Khonji.

The total land area is around 660,000 square metres and the entire development is planned in different phases.

“We have prepared a master plan and are now carrying out the environmental impact study.”

Last year, Al Khonji Real Estate and Development had inked deals for leasing land in the Duqm Special Economic Zone for the construction of a mixed-use development.

© Times of Oman 2017