Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with the Civil Service Employees Pension Fund in Oman to operate its first property in the sultanate’s capital city.
The Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Azaiba Muscat will be part of a design-led upscale mixed-used development in Muscat’s commercial hub, the Ghala District, adjacent to the Sultan Qaboos Highway and close to the new international airport and Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The hotel will have 274 guestrooms and suites as well as 50 serviced apartments.
“This new property will be a welcome addition to our already extensive portfolio of hotels in the Middle East,” Andreas Mattmüller, COO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa, said in a statement. “With Muscat undergoing rapid development and significant funds being invested into major tourism infrastructure projects, the time is right to put the Mövenpick brand on the map in this important regional city.”
Oman saw an estimated $640 million invested in travel and tourism projects in 2015 for 3.1 of of total investment in the country, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
In 2016, the Sultanate was on track to receive more than 1.8 million international tourists, and that number could almost double to 3.34 million by 2026.
“Oman’s tourism industry is flourishing, and we are enormously encouraged by the government and private sector’s commitment to exploit its true potential,” said Amir Lababedi, VP of development – Middle East and Africa. “As we accelerate our regional expansion, signing management deals at a record pace, we will certainly be seeing more opportunities to grow our footprint in the Sultanate.”