Golden Group signs deal with Rotana hotel chain
MUSCAT: Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the region with hotels across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, signed a management agreement with Golden Group Holding (GGH), a diversified Oman-based business group, for a new hotel project in Muscat, Oman.
The new hotel – named Al MoujRayhaan by Rotana – will be located within the landmark Al Mouj development, an integrated tourist complex spread along a scenic 6-km stretch of Muscat’s coastline and comprising a mix of hotels, luxury residential properties, retail and dining facilities and a private yachting hub, in addition to Oman’s only PGA-standard 18-hole golf course, designed by legendary golfer Greg Norman, according to a press release.
Al Mouj Rayhaan by Rotana will feature 250 rooms, suites and apartments, along with worldclass amenities and services. Located in a sea front location designed to meet diverse guest needs, the property is scheduled to open before 2020.
The management agreement for Al MoujRayhaan by Rotana further strengthens the strategic relationship between Rotana and GGH; the two companies had earlier in 2015 signed an agreement for the development of five new hotels in Oman.
“The agreement marks the continuation of our valued partnership with GGH,” said Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of Rotana. “As one of the fastest growing tourism and hospitality markets in the region, Oman has everything going for it – from a rich history and spectacular landscapes to an increasingly diverse mix of topclass tourist attractions. Rotana has ambitious plans for the Oman market, with no less than nine hotels set to open in the Sultan- ate by 2020, and we are delighted to have a company of the stature, reputation and financial strength of GGH as a key strategic partner in our efforts to transform Oman’s hospitality landscape and continue our company’s expansion in the region.”
“Once complete, Rotana’s upcoming properties in Oman will add more than 1,600 keys to our existing inventory of 400 rooms in the Sultanate, bringing the total to over 2,000 rooms. More importantly, these projects will bring significant economic benefits for Oman and create hundreds of new jobs for Omani nationals, while providing a new level of guest experience to visitors to the Sultanate,” Al Nowais noted.
Inbound tourism to the Sultanate rose by an average of 7.4 per cent per annum in the decade beginning 2005, and the Oman government has outlined plans to attract 1.4 million international visitors annually by 2019.