IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, and Muscat Golf Course Project have signed a 20-year management agreement for InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort in Oman.

Signed during the 2012 Arabian Hotel Investment Conference taking place in Dubai, the hotel will form part of the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club – a 1.2 million sq m development set in a unique hillside location with panoramic mountain and sea views over the Gulf of Oman.

Muscat Hills is a mixed use development with upscale residential villas and apartments, an 18-hole championship golf course, country club and hotel.

InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort will have a total of 250-rooms and four food and beverage outlets, a fitness centre, spa and swimming pool.

The InterContinental team will also manage the golf Club House located next door to the hotel. The hotel and Club House are due to open in 2015 and the project is projected to be worth a total of $90 million.

Rawy Kais Al-Said, owner of the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, said: “When choosing a hotel partner we were looking for a top international brand that would add real value to the development and help us to compete with the best golf resorts in the world.”

“InterContinental Hotels & Resorts were exactly the right fit, bringing the quality standards and first class management skills we’re looking for. With the InterContinental team on board I have every confidence the resort will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Jan Smits, IHG’s chief executive for Asia, Middle East and Africa, said:  “The Muscat Hills development is already proving a great success and we were eager to become a part of it. InterContinental Muscat Hills Golf Resort will be a new type of resort for Muscat, offering guests a range of sporting facilities in a spectacular setting. This hotel will be a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio in Oman and we look forward to its opening in 2015.”

There are 170 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in more than 60 countries around the world, with an additional 58 hotels in the global development pipeline. – TradeArabia News Service