Oman’s oldest hotel undergoes makeover for new age visitors

Muscat: Oman’s oldest hotel is undergoing a complete makeover, as it prepares to welcome the next generation of visitors to the Sultanate.
The InterContinental Hotel in downtown Shatti-Al-Qurum recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, and is now revamping the entire hotel, including its rooms, restaurants and other amenities, in order to open its state-of-the-art facilities ahead of the traditional tourist season in Oman, which traditionally runs from September to April.
Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, Thierry Perrot, general manager for the InterContinental Hotels Group, said the renovations would ensure the hotel would remain among Oman’s best and continue to attract guests, even as Oman pushes to diversify its economy away from oil and gas revenues under its Tanfeedh directives, with tourism earmarked as one of the primary sectors for expansion.
“As Oman’s oldest hotel, we have been with the Sultanate through its stages of development every step of the way,” he said.
“So many important government representatives and ministers from Oman and many foreign delegations come here to stay and sign so many important deals, and even today, when we have ministers and other important figures come to Intercon, they tell us about their experiences and their fond memories in the hotel,” Perrot added.
“There is a very strong connection that people have to this hotel, and we want to continue that in the future as well,” he said, adding, “The renovation of the hotel is being done in stages, but it is important that we do not forget our past. We are confident that we will complete our renovations by the end of August or early September and show the residents, citizens and tourists in Oman that we are very much here and want to continue to set the standard for traditional Omani hospitality.”
A raft of changes have been planned for the InterContinental’s rooms, ensuring that the latest technological conveniences and amenities are available to guests at the hotel, providing an entire new generation plenty of fond memories at the hotel.
With Oman looking to diversify its economy and attract more tourists in the future, Perrot is sure the InterContinental will be welcoming many more tourists in the future.
“The Oman government is quite clearly pressing forward its plans to expand the economy, and that is why you see so many hotels coming up today,” he said.
“I think it is good for competition, because we will always be looking to improve ourselves and it will motivate us to perform better and offer better services to our visitors.
“The traditional Omani hospitality is unique to this country and I think there are very few places where you will get this sort of welcome, and if you add that to the natural beauty and the excellent infrastructure that is now being developed, including the new airport, there is plenty we can look forward to in the hospitality sector here in Oman.”
“In fact, one of the fondest memories at the InterContinental was actually the birth of a baby girl in one of our hotel rooms,” revealed Perrot.
“At that time, the road network was not so good, because this area was just beginning to be developed, so it was not so easy to go to the hospital, and her parents had to have her in the room. We will be inviting her to experience the new launch of this hotel and show her the room where she was born. I think it will be a great memory to start the new journey of the InterContinental,” he added.