THE countdown to the opening of Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments has begun with the hotel entering the final phase of development.
Laurent Voivenel, CEO, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings, said: “Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments is a flagship property for HMH and is on track to welcome its first guests by the third quarter of 2014. We are thrilled to see the progress on site and expect the Coral sign to go up shortly.”Owned by Mustafa Sultan Enterprises, Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments has been designed to meet the critical needs of the growing tourism industry. Offering an alcohol-free, safe environment, it holds unique competitive advantage in a prime location. The impressive hotel has been conceived to be a convenient and comfortable address for discerning business and leisure travellers offering an array of special amenities and privileges in a mixed-use complex. Located in Qurum merely 20 minutes-drive from Muscat International Airport, the deluxe property features 88 beautifully furnished rooms and apartments. Large sums are being spent to boost visitors to the sultanate, such as $6.1 billion into the expansion of its international airports. Muscat International Airport’s new terminal will be able to handle 12 million passengers when it opens next year, with plans to expand annual capacity to 48 million passengers. To meet the growing demand the number of hotel rooms in the Muscat governorate could reach between 5,000 and 6,000 by 2015, ranging from three- to five-stars. The ministry of tourism forecasts 3,000 rooms to open by end of 2014. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) expects the tourism sector to contribute 9.9 per cent by 2019 to the sultanate’s gross domestic product, up from 6.7 per cent in 2009.The Omani government’s Vision 2020 plan aims to increase its room count to 20,000 rooms by 2015 and welcome 12 million visitors annually by 2020, an increase well above 2,184,000 visitors in 2013. To achieve its goal the government has been investing in tourism under its 2011-2015 plan to bring infrastructure and services up to par with upgrades of road infrastructure and airports as well as the development of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre with a 3,200-seat auditorium set to open in 2016.