Tue, 04 September 2012
MUSCAT -- The construction of the four-star Duqm Crowne Plaza Hotel is on track and it is all set to be up and running by the fourth quarter of this year. A beachfront business hotel, the Duqm Crowne Plaza is designed to serve the development of world-class industrial and commercial facilities in the newly upcoming town of Duqm, which is located in south east of Oman. The 10-hectare site is located 8km west of Duqm, a town reinventing itself to become one of the country's major industrial and commercial hubs. The hotel is being developed in traditional Omani style and includes 218 deluxe rooms, 11 executive suites, 6 family suites and 1 royal suite, besides a diverse range of dining options featuring an all-day dining restaurant, seafood grill, pool and a lobby lounge.
Leisure facilities at the hotel will include a fitness centre and exterior pool. Business needs will be fully serviced by a business centre, ballroom and full state-of-the-art meeting and conferencing facilities, according to Omran. In August 2008, Omran and the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) signed an agreement to develop the resort. IHG said Duqm Crowne Plaza will primarily cater to business travelers when it is completed in the fourth quarter of 2012. The new dry dock, port and free trade zone are mostly in place. Future plans to transform Duqm include construction of Oman's third largest airport, oil storage facilities, fishing harbour, a residential town and a public beach.
Crowne Plaza Duqm Hotel will play an important role in servicing the expanding business needs of the area. As the region develops and the tourism offering becomes more robust, the hotel will also strive to cater to the leisure market. The wilayat of Duqm, about 600 km south of Muscat, is being developed as a maritime gateway that also boasts an investment-friendly climate in that it offers easy procedures, solid infrastructure, abundant land and natural resources. Above all its strategic location is a big magnet for foreign capital. Duqm Crowne Plaza is one of many new hotels coming up in all parts of the county. Sohar will welcome as many as seven modern hotel projects, including three 3-star hotels in the coming years. These include, besides three five-star hotels, four hotel apartments and a catering division of a leading company along with other major players in the industry.
Construction work on a new luxury hotel kicked off in 2010 at Muscat's Airport Heights. The five-star property, promoted by Azaiba Hotel LLC, is coming up on a spacious plot of land adjacent to the headquarters of bank muscat. The upscale hotel boasting over 220 rooms and suites and all the amenities of a five-star property, including an array of diners, swimming pool, business centre, and a range of leisure and recreational facilities, is slated for completion in 2012.
© Oman Daily Observer 2012
