MUSCAT, Oman—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced that it has signed an agreement with the Oman Tourism Development Company SAOC (Omran) to open Crowne Plaza Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, Muscat.
The 296-room hotel will be the second Crowne Plaza hotel in the capital and the fourth Crowne Plaza hotel in Oman. The new-build property will feature extensive meeting and event facilities with a separate function center that will include a ballroom with terrace, a boardroom, and three large meeting rooms.
The hotel will also benefit from five food and beverage outlets, including a rooftop restaurant. Leisure and fitness facilities will include female and male Jacuzzi pools, a 150-square-meter fitness zone, two pools, and a children’s playground.
The new property is a part of Omran’s Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) development which is due for completion in 2016. The mixed-use, purpose-built precinct will feature an exhibition center with 22,000 square meters of exhibition space. The OCEC will also include a shopping center and a business park.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, H.E. Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi, chairman of Omran said, “Today marks a pivotal milestone in the development of the much anticipated OCEC as we sign with the first hotel operator to handle one of a series of planned hotels to complement this mega project. By formalizing this agreement with our preferred and trusted partner IHG to operate the 5-star facility, we are taking another step forward to establish the Sultanate as a favoured destination for the regional and global meetings and exhibitions industry.”
Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, said: “Omran’s Convention and Exhibition Center is set to put Muscat on the MICE industry map. The alignment of the Crowne Plaza brand to the project makes perfect business sense for us—and for our guests, who will be able to utilise OCEC’s world class facilities at their doorstep. We are delighted to continue to be a part of the Capital’s exciting expansion plans.”
The signing marks IHG’s eighth property in the Sultanate of Oman, with four properties already operating in the cities of Muscat, Salalah, and Sohar. There are four more properties in IHG’s pipeline for these cities, as well as Duqm.
