Muriya launches its second hotel in Salalah Beach

Salalah Rotana Resort opens its doors as Oman's largest free-standing hotel

Muscat, March 18^th 2014

Muriya, Oman's leading tourism development company, has announced the soft opening of the Salalah Rotana Resort, its  second hotel in Salalah Beach and the largest in the city by room size and the largest free-standing hotel in Oman. The hotel's 400 rooms are set in between an elaborate network of manmade waterways that connect all waterfront hotels and residential areas in Muriya's Salalah Beach to the Arabian Sea.

Speaking at the opening, Samih Sawiris, Chairman of Muriya and CEO of Orascom Development, said, "We are delighted to launch the Salalah Rotana Resort as part of Muriya's Salalah Beach destination. Salalah Rotana Resort is a ground-breaking project in Oman. Utilising the experience gained by Orascom when developing the pioneering El Gouna resort in Egypt, Muriya has integrated the natural landscape into the design of the hotel to combine traditional architectural aesthetics with Venetian waterways to create a desert oasis. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the government of Oman for their confidence and continued support throughout this project. The partnership between Orascom and Omran has allowed Muriya to deliver a landmark resort in Salalah as an example of the commitment of all parties. The resort is peerless in the Sultanate of Oman as the largest hotel in the country and will serve the growing demand for high-quality accommodation in Salalah as tourism continues to grow in the city."

Sawiris praised the joint venture partnership between Orascom and Omran that has allowed Muriya to deliver the project, as an example by the commitment of all parties to provide a landmark resort in Salalah.

Hamza Selim, CEO of Muriya, said, "Salalah Rotana Resort will make a major contribution to the community by providing additional employment opportunities for Omani nationals and strengthening the local supply chain in support of the country's developing tourism industry. Salalah is the only tropical destination in the Gulf and the annual Khareef season brings the region's lush landscape and spectacular waterfalls to life. Salalah Rotana Resort has incorporated the natural environment by filling the waterways with 105,000m² of seawater that is safe for swimming and refreshed every four days using natural tidal patterns. The opening of Salalah Rotana Resort is a milestone for Muriya and the hotel will develop to become part of an integrated town which will make a major contribution to the number of quality hospitality assets in the Sultanate's portfolio and put Salalah on the map as a global tourism destination."

The resort has been carved from desert rock as the hotel rises out of the water, making it part of the landscape. In-room furnishings including beds, tables and sofas have been integrated into the main walls while Arabesque geometric designs and stone archways, constructed using traditional techniques, resemble an atrium and provide areas of contemplation. Natural light covers every corridor in the hotel as bright furniture provides the contrast against matt-finished walls, changing colour and texture as the shadows move and a new area of the hotel is bathed in sunlight throughout the day. High ceilings and a central, internally-lit handmade red clay dome complement the wooden finishing and decorative mashrabiya latticework windows.

Omer Kaddouri, President & CEO of Rotana said, "We are excited to begin a new journey today at the first hotel to be operated by Rotana in Oman. This stunning property is the 50th hotel to be operated by Rotana and represents the half-way mark in the award-winning hospitality group's plans for 100 hotels by 2020. Salalah Rotana Resort is the Sultanate's newest and largest hotel. Oman has always been a key growth market for us to expand into. We pride ourselves in identifying new and upcoming travel destinations people wish to visit and Salalah is growing in popularity. The opening of Salalah Rotana Resort is an exciting one for us, as not only does it take us one step closer to reaching our ultimate vision but it has strengthened the company's standing as the leading hotel management company in the region. We will be working closely with Muriya and Ministry of Tourism on developing the country's appeal and establishing Salalah as a new and upcoming year-round tourist destination. Salalah Rotana Resort's opening is in line with the Ministry's strategy to strengthen Oman's reputation as a luxury hospitality haven and will set new standards in hospitality which we are renowned for.'

The resort offer guests a wide variety of food and beverage venues including a lobby lounge café, all-day dining and specialty restaurants as well as a beach restaurant. The hotel is fully-equipped to cater to business visitors with a selection of meeting rooms, a business centre, Bodylines leisure and fitness club, a large outdoor pool, massage services, and a kids' club. Guests can rest, relax and rejuvenate at the resort's Zen the spa; Rotana's home-grown spa concept derived from ancient holistic Asian philosophies. A calming space where stress melts away, Zen the spa at Rotana promises to provide each guest the opportunity to 'rebalance the body' with a wide variety of relaxing 'ritual' treatments from full body massages, facials and soothing wraps. 

In the coming months, the resort will grow to feature 45 villas and the resort will be fully operational in time for the popular Khareef season when the area receives a large number of visitors.

In 2013, 435,000 visitors from the Gulf region visited Salalah during the Khareef season, an increase of over 80,000 on the previous year as visitor numbers continue to rise year on year. The new Salalah Airport is expected to be completed in 2014, with the capacity to handle one million passengers. Future expansion is planned to extend capacity to six million passengers.

Salalah Rotana Resort is the second hotel to open at Salalah Beach, which is an Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) in Oman, along with Muriya's Jebel Sifah destination in the Muscat Governorate. Spread over an area of 15.6 million square meters with 8.2 km beach front, Salalah Beach is located in one of the most breath-taking natural settings in the Sultanate between spectacular mountains, fresh water springs and tropical scenery. Visitors find themselves immersed in traditional Arabian lifestyles and values expressed through the surrounding architecture, wildlife and frankincense trees.

-Ends-

Muriya Tourism Development
Muriya is a joint venture between Orascom Development Holdings (70%), a leading developer of integrated destinations and Omran (30%), the tourism development arm of the Omani Government. The company was created in 2006 to stimulate external leisure investment in Oman and showcase the history, culture and natural beauty of the country, in which time it has grown into Oman's leading tourism developer.

Muriya currently has four development projects under construction; Jebel Sifah, located 45 minutes from Muscat, Salalah Beach, adjacent to the ancient city of Salalah situated in a tropical destination on the Arabian Peninsula in the far southeast of Oman, and As Sodah Island, an hour by helicopter from Salalah, located in the Indian Ocean and City Walk located in the heart of the capital Muscat

Omran
Omran is the leading tourism-related investment‚ development and management company in Oman. The company works closely with the Ministry of Tourism, to drive tourism, boost the economy and create jobs. Omran focuses on creating sustainable low impact destinations working closely with local communities and the natural environment for the long-term benefit of Oman.

Orascom Development Holding AG
Orascom Development is one of the world's leading developers with over 20 years of experience in the creation of integrated destinations, offering villas and apartments, hotels and associated leisure facilities and infrastructure including schools, parks, golf courses, marinas.

El Gouna, Orascom's first development now has a population of approximately 24,000.  Other integrated Orascom developments include, Taba Heights in Egypt; Lustica Bay in Montenegro and Andermatt Swiss Alps in Switzerland.

About Rotana
Rotana currently manages a portfolio of over 85 properties throughout the throughout the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe with an aggressive expansion plan in place. Rotana has chosen to acknowledge how precious time is by making all time spent in their range of hotels 'Treasured Time'. This means Rotana has pledged to understand and meet the individual needs of all guests. In so doing, Rotana has evolved its product brands to include, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana and Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana. Treasured Time. The Rotana promise to you.

Corporate Social Responsibility
Low density, low impacts are fundamental tenets of the Muriya philosophy.  A maximum of 25% of land within Muriya developments are zoned for building, with the remainder set aside for manicured gardens, golf courses, local wildlife preservation and the natural environment. Muriya's initiatives also include marine conservation projects such as creating Oman's first inland marinas and launching the 'Mooring Buoys Campaign'. More information on this eco-campaign is available upon request.

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Shaza Taher
TRACCS Public Relations
Telephone: +968 24 649-099
Fax: +968 24 649-088
Email: shaza.taher@traccs.net 

© Press Release 2014