Luxury hotel chain Soneva Group plans to develop a seven-star resort in the Musandam Governorate in Oman.

Comprising 40 villas, work on the new upscale project will begin in 2017, confirmed Sonu Shivdasani, the founder and CEO of Soneva Group in a Times of Oman report.

The Soneva Group owns luxury resorts including Soneva Fushi in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand.

Shivdasani was the founder and CEO of the Six Senses Resorts & Spas, across South East Asia and Europe, before selling it in 2012.

He disclosed that the construction time for the Oman project would be between 12 and 18 months from the sign-off of architectural plans, the report said.