Intercontinental’s Crowne Plaza Chosen For Oman Convention Centre

Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Crowne Plaza brand has been selected to manage a four-star hotel at the upcoming Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat.

The news was confirmed on the Oman stand at GIBTM in Abu Dhabi today although it is understood the announcement will be made publically tomorrow.

Three more hotels are due to open on site, a five-star property, another four-star hotel and a three-star hotel and apartments.

Located in the Hayy Al Ifran district, 4kms from Muscat International Airport, the centre, due to be completed by 2016, will be among the first globally to be built to LEED certification standards.

Alongside a 3,200-seat auditorium will be 22,000sqm of exhibition hall space and 14 meeting rooms that can accommodate between 70-360 delegates. The centre will be operated by AEG Ogden.

The news bolsters IHG’s presence in Muscat where it already operates Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental hotels.

The size of the development is testament to Oman’s desire to establish itself as a convention hub, not just regionally but internationally.

It is competing against some of the world’s leading convention destinations – Turkey, Singapore, India, Malaysia and South America – to host the 37th annual congress of the International Association of Hyrdo-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) in 2017. The successful host country will be announced in September.