Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Muscat: Guests who stay at The View in Ras Al Hamra are in for a memorable experience, both within and beyond the property.
Located close to many key tourist sites in Oman, the hotel offers an unforgettable charm that stays with all those who stay there, long after their visit ends.
“The most important feature of the hotel is that it does not offer hotel rooms only, but rather provides an integrated hotel experience for guests, distinguished by many things, starting with the wonderful location high above the heights of Jabal Al Shas, which gives us plenty of privacy,” said Akbar Abbas, general manager at The View.
“The unique view of Al Hamra, the fresh air, and the unique design of the hotel…all this in addition to the luxury of the hotel and the outstanding food, as well as the many activities that make for a unique experience that provides comfort and relaxation in an atmosphere full of calm and serenity away from the noise the cities,” he added.
Located some 1,450 metres above sea level, the hotel is only accessible by a four-wheel drive. Its position, however, means those who visit the property have access to excellent weather throughout the year, ranging from around 32 degrees in the summer to the mid-twenties in the cooler months.
Tourists also use the hotel as their place of stay while they visit many nearby tourist places, including Al Hoota Cave, Misfat Al Abrieen, Bait Al Safat, Bahla Castle, Jibreen Fort, Nizwa Castle and Souq, or even the mighty Jabal Akhdar. Many guests choose to go hiking in the mountainous areas cradling the hotel and table tennis area.
Featuring 30 rooms that offer stunning view of Al Hamra, The View also has a restaurant offering a diverse range of international cuisines. Also on the property is a temperature-controlled swimming pool, where guests can splash away to their heart’s content for a few hours.
“Before COVID-19, The View had guests of many nationalities from around the world, especially from the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Canada, but during the pandemic, the hotel focused on providing many offers for domestic tourists, as well as special offers for people employed by certain companies,” explained Abbas.
“This compensated, even in a small way, for the absence of international tourists,” he added. “We hope there is a return to normalcy during the coming period, but we can also say that we have benefited from many lessons during this pandemic: we must pay attention to the importance of the local tourist market, as we have found that there is a very high demand from locals to stay in hotels, and they look forward to local hotel experiences full of comfort and relaxation.
“Therefore, we will continue to focus on local tourism, as well as external travellers, and our offers for local tourism will continue,” he went on to add. “The government and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism have given and continue to give a lot of support to hotels. Our booking rates before the pandemic ranged between 85 and 95 per cent, but in light of the COVID pandemic, we had trouble crossing even the 40 per cent mark, but we are confident our occupancy rates will continue to grow.”
Akbar Abbas added that In the past few years, the Sultanate had witnessed a change in the quality of hotels, since many famous international hotel chains have set up operations. They bring with them a high understanding of global tourism markets, and therefore will have a great impact on tourism, which is growing at a rapid pace in the country.
“After the return of international travel during the pandemic and the opening of Muscat International Airport, some foreign tourists began to frequent the hotel, and our visitor numbers have steadily grown so our occupancy rate has returned to 70 to 80 per cent on weekends, while on weekdays, rates fluctuate between 40 and 50 per cent,” explained Abbas.
“This is a rather good percentage, and we are happy with that, and we hope for more success in the future. We now have tourists who come from France, Italy, Switzerland, and New Zealand.”
The View is part of The Zahara Group, one of the major travel companies in the Sultanate. It regularly participates at many global travel markets, whether international or regional. This has a direct impact in boosting occupancy rates for the hotel.
The company has expansion plans in the hotel industry in Oman, which include opening more properties in the future to give tourists unique and special experiences. Another hotel is expected to be opened by next November at Ramal Wahiba near Bidiyah. The facility is almost ready, and will provide visitors an experience of a somewhat different nature to The View.
