IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, and Muscat Golf Course Project LLC on Sunday announced the signing of a 20-year management agreement for the luxury InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort in Oman.
Signed during the 2012 Arabian Hotel Investment Conference taking place in Dubai (April 28-30), the hotel will form part of the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club - a 1.2mn sq m development set in a unique hillside location with spectacular panoramic mountain and sea views over the Gulf of Oman.
Muscat Hills is a mixed use development with upscale residential villas and apartments, an 18-hole championship golf course, country club and a hotel.
InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort will have a total of 250-rooms and four food and beverage outlets, a fitness centre, spa and swimming pool. The InterContinental team will also manage the golf Club House located next door to the hotel. The US$90mn hotel and Club House is due to open in 2015.
H H Rawy Kais al Said, owner of the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, commented, "When choosing a hotel partner we were looking for a top international brand that would add real value to the development and help us to compete with the best golf resorts in the world.
"InterContinental Hotels & Resorts were exactly the right fit, bringing the quality standards and first class management skills we're looking for. With the InterContinental team on board I have every confidence the resort will continue to go from strength to strength."
Jan Smits, IHG's chief executive for Asia, Middle East and Africa, said, "The Muscat Hills development is already proving a great success and we were eager to become a part of it.
"InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort will be a new type of resort for Muscat, offering guests a range of sporting facilities in a spectacular setting. This hotel will be a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio in Oman and we look forward to its opening in 2015."
There are 170 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in more than 60 countries around the world, with an additional 58 hotels in the global development pipeline. IHG currently has four hotels in Oman: InterContinental Muscat, Crowne Plaza Muscat, Crowne Plaza Sohar and Crowne Plaza Salalah.
The company has three further hotels in the development pipeline, which when opened will nearly double the number of rooms in the country under IHG's brands.
IHG has 110 hotels across India, Middle East and Africa, operating under the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites brands.
The company has a further 96 hotels in the region's development pipeline which are due to open over the next three to five years.
Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club is a unique golf development, comprising an 18-hole PGA-certified green golf course and a high quality residential development consisting of 80 villas and 135 apartments set into an unparalleled environment on the outskirts of Muscat.
The 18-hole, par 72, Muscat Hills Golf Course is the first green golf course in Oman designed by the internationally acclaimed golf course designer, Paul Thomas, of David Thomas Associates.
Built in its own distinct corner of Muscat's rugged hills and etched by canyon-like wadis, the 18 holes have been designed to complement all of the natural features, while the lush green fairways and greens provide a startling contrast to the rugged desert terrain.
Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club offers excellent practicing facilities - a floodlit driving range, pitch and putt area and a world-class Golf Academy. Since its opening in 2009 the resort has been a preferred place for living among the locals and the expat community.
© Muscat Daily 2012
