New eco lifestyle brand Agarwood will enter the Oman market with the launch of a 286-key resort in Salalah by 2017.
Construction work for the Agarwood resort will start from the third quarter of this year and will include a hotel, villas and apartments, all set in beautiful natural surroundings in Salalah.
"The resort will include an all-day specialty restaurant, a wellness spa, business center, children's club, retail outlets and ballroom," said Abdul Rahman Barham, CEO, Al Madina Real Estate Company while speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman.
Millennium & Copthorne MEA entered into an agreement with Al Madina Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality arm of Al Madina Real Estate Company, to develop the Group's Agarwood brand and to develop another three-star hotel, Studio M, near the airport.
In this regard, Millennium & Copthorne signed an agreement with Al Madina Real Estate Company at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Tuesday.
"All the necessary approvals are in place for both the hotels," declared Barham.
He also said, "These signings will add to a rapidly growing portfolio that includes the recently opened Millennium Executive Apartments Muscat and the Millennium Hotel Mussanah and both projects play a key part in the company's wider strategic plan that includes the introduction of Grand Millennium & Copthorne hotel brands to Muscat later this year. The move will result in Millennium & Copthorne becoming one of the largest hotel operators in Oman."
Regarding the budget brand, Studio M, he said that Millennium & Copthorne will be launching its new budget boutique Studio M hotel concept in the Al Hail in 2017.
"The 302-key property will combine a chic minimalist design and contemporary functionality to cater to the new generation of independent travelers who are young at heart," he said.
There are also plans for Millennium & Copthorne to extend the Studio M footprint across a number of key urban locations across the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, president and CEO, Millennium & Copthorne MEA said, "We are not only delighted to strengthen our presence in Oman but we are even more delighted to extend our relationship with our trusted partners in Al Madina Real Estate. The signing will make us one of the largest hotel operators in the Sultanate, and we believe that the major tourism and infrastructure projects will support our hotel developments in Oman."
"We are excited to be pioneers with the launch of the Agarwood brand in the region, and we believe it is a concept that will perfectly complement the natural beauty of Salalah where tourism is growing at an amazing rate," added Barham.
Times of Oman
15 May
