Mövenpick pens deal to manage its first Muscat hotel

Swiss hotel operator Mövenpick has announced a deal with Oman’s Civil Service Employees Pension Fund to manage its first hotel and apartment complex in Muscat.

The property, Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Azaiba Muscat, forms part of an upscale mixed-use development in the city’s Ghala District adjacent to the Sultan Qaboos Highway.

It will feature 274 guest rooms and suites and 50 shared apartments, with six food and beverage outlets including a rooftop restaurant.

Other facilities include a swimming pool, meeting and event space, a ballroom, rooftop gym and spa, executive lounge and residents’ lounge.

“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,” said Andreas Mattmüller, chief operating officer, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa.

Oman received more than 1.8 million tourists last year and the country is seeking 6,000 more hotel rooms by 2020 to accommodate expected visitor growth.

Read: Oman seeks 6,000 more hotel rooms by 2020

The country’s Vision 2040 envisions $19bn of tourist revenues with 80,000 hotel rooms and visitor numbers rising to 11 million.

Amir Lababedi, Mövenpick’s vice president of development for Middle East and Africa, said the company saw more opportunities to grow its footprint in Oman in the future.