Three new hotels to open in Oman next year

Muscat: Three new hotels will open in Muscat next year, cementing Oman’s continued growth as a tourism destination, the Ministry of Tourism said on Sunday.
They will provide around 500 rooms to guests.
The three-star Al Irfan International Hotel is expected to open in the first quarter of 2017, the ministry said. Located in Bausher, it will have 152 guest rooms.
In greater Muttrah, another three-star hotel, the Muttrah Corniche with 120 rooms, is set to open by the middle of next year.
Muttrah Corniche is located near Port Sultan Qaboos, one of the most important ports in Oman, in the heart of the capital Muscat. It overlooks beautiful mountains and is one of the most scenic areas in the Governorate of Muscat, ideal for picnic, sea watching, and admiring ancient buildings. “There are not many hotels in Muttrah, so a budget three-star hotel will boost tourism, as more than 150 cruise ships visit Port Sultan Qaboos every year,” travel experts said.
A third hotel, Sundus Rotana, is expected to begin hosting guests in the third quarter of 2017. “The four-star hotel will have 215 rooms and is located at the Airport Heights,” according to the ministry. In addition, the three-star Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Al Khuwair, with 232 rooms, is expected to open in mid-2018.
Another hotel, the five-star Intercontinental Tilal Muscat, with 244 rooms, is expected to open by 2019 end, the ministry said. “These hotels are designed to cater to all types of travellers visiting the Sultanate. All these hotels are in the city, and will offer modern amenities to facilitate all types of travellers,” travel agents said.
Recently, Maitha Al Mahrouqi, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, said that Oman was looking at a growth in tourism of 8-12 per cent per year.
“The biggest airport will open; the convention centre has already opened. Then, there are a few five-star hotels that are in the pipeline and will also open next year,” she said recently.