Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: Four-star rated Crowne Plaza Muscat Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) has opened its doors to business and leisure travellers, thus boosting the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector in the Sultanate.
It is first of the three hotels to be opened within the OCEC precinct by Omran, Oman’s tourism development company.
Situated in Madinat Al Irfan, the new urban development project in the heart of Muscat, the 295-room property provides extensive meeting and event facilities.
With a dedicated Crowne Plaza meeting manager, a ballroom, boardroom, meeting rooms and club lounge, the hotel caters to the needs of business travellers.
It also houses five food and beverage outlets, including the Charm Thai Lounge and Restaurant, which will have a mystical influence and provide delectable native flavours of Thailand.
The opening ceremony took place yesterday and was attended by Guest of Honour His Highness Sayyid Tariq bin Shabib Al Said.
“Representing a catalyst for change, the opening of the Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC showcases the significant progress made by Oman’s MICE sector. The OCEC has provided a foundation for the growth of Oman’s events industry, and with the opening of this hotel, the country is becoming an increasingly attractive option for business travellers worldwide, he noted,” Sayyid Tariq said.
The development of the area is fast progressing, with the five-star JW Marriot Hotel and the OCEC Convention Centre set to open next year. Once completed, the precinct will also include a business park, retail shopping areas and residential districts, surrounded by a nature reserve, which is a haven for Oman’s exotic bird-life, together with parklands and a wadi park.
Developed in line with Omran’s sustainability policies, the Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC was designed to achieve a gold rating accreditation under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.
Peter Walichnowski, chief executive officer of Omran, said, “Developed to align with Oman’s vision to strengthen and diversify the national economy, the OCEC project aims to accelerate the capacity, scope and potential of the tourism sector in the Sultanate.
“The hotel employees some 100 people with 40 per cent Omanisation,” added Walichnowski .
“Since the opening of the OCEC exhibition halls in October 2016, we have witnessed great success and an overwhelming international response, making it one of the most important tourism investment projects in the country. We have more than 50 upcoming global and regional events scheduled, and it is with great pride that we now offer accommodation at the Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC,” he emphasised.
Expected to achieve strong occupancy rates, the Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC has already got several pre-bookings from visitors attending large-scale international conferences taking place in December this year, including the ACI Airport Exchange Exhibition and the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture.
Christian Kronast, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC, remarked, “With a strategic location in the core of Oman’s up and coming business region, we expect majority of the guests joining us to be from the exhibition or conference centres. With this in mind, we managed to tailor each and every aspect of the Crowne Plaza to the requirements and needs of the business traveller, providing a comfortable and enjoyable experience.”
Located in its own fully integrated precinct only 4 kilometres away from the Muscat International Airport, the OCEC forms part of phase one of Madinat Al Irfan, Muscat’s state-of-the-art hub for business and international events. Developed by Omran, this precinct is one of the many innovative communities currently under construction that are designed to create memorable and enjoyable experiences for visitors to the Sultanate.
