Action Hotels Opens 185-room Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb in Oman
Muscat, Oman - March 3, 2014 - IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has opened Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb in the heart of capital's new business district, making it the third IHG hotel in the city. Brought to the city by Action Hotels, the opening marks the return of the one of the world's most recognised hotel brands to Oman.
The hotel is located within ten minutes' drive of Muscat International Airport and next to the new centres of business and government, perfect for business travellers on a tight schedule or families looking for a convenient stay in the serenity of Al Seeb. The hotel is also close to some of the capital's most popular tourist attractions, an easy journey away for business travellers with some downtime between meetings or leisure travellers wanting to explore Muscat's best sites, including Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the traditional souqs at Seeb and Muttrah and old Muscat.
The modern and sleek hotel has 185 rooms, each with a 32-inch LED TV, an iPod docking station and access to free Wi-Fi services. A comfortable workspace in the rooms offers a relaxing and spacious environment, with views over the outdoor pool and terrace area. The hotel's ballroom, boardroom and meeting rooms offer flexible spaces for customised events and meetings, catering for up to 250 people.
Guests have a choice of restaurants: the all-day dining restaurant Omede provides international cuisine throughout the day and the Halwa Lounge Cafe offers guests a real taste of Omani drinks and delicacies. Additionally, Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb operates Holiday Inn Hotels and Resort's 'Kids Stay and Eat Free'* programme, making travelling with all the family easier to manage. Guests looking to unwind after a long day will enjoy the hotel's gym and outdoor pool facilities.
Oppenheimer Pinto, General Manager, Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb commented: "The team are very excited to be welcoming guests to Oman's newest hotel. With our close proximity to the airport and to the attractions of Old and New Muscat, the hotel is a great place to stay whether you're here for business or leisure."
Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb marks the re-entry of the renowned brand to Oman. In 1977, Oman was the home of the first Holiday Inn property in the Middle East with Holiday Inn Resort Salalah, before the property was converted to Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah.
Holiday Inn Al Seeb is owned by Action Hotels plc, and is the inaugural partnership between IHG and Action Hotels.
Alain Debare, Chief Executive of Action Hotels plc, added: "We are pleased to announce the successful opening of our first hotel development with IHG and are proud to become part of the Holiday Inn family, reintroducing to Oman a market leading international brand with a strong heritage in the region.
'We see significant opportunities in the Middle East for the mid-scale hotel market, with the growth of intra-regional low cost airlines making travel easier and more affordable than ever before. Hotels play an important role in their contribution to local economies, and IHG's reputation as an investor in people is a key driver behind Action Hotel's investment in the brand."
Pascal Gauvin, IHG's Chief Operating Officer, for India, Middle East and Africa commented: "Oman played a key role in the launch of the Holiday Inn brand in the Middle East region so it is fantastic to be able to bring the brand back to a country where it has so much history. With tourist numbers to Oman on the increase we are confident that Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb will offer a comfortable and quality option for visitors to Muscat, and play a key role in the city's future too."
This hotel will become IHG's sixth hotel in Oman, and joins two other IHG properties in the capital: InterContinental Muscat and Crowne Plaza Muscat. There are more than 1,200 Holiday Inn hotels around the world, with another 263 in the global pipeline.
Guests can book rooms now at the Holiday Inn website - www.holidayinn.com. IHG's Best Price Guarantee promises any guest who finds a qualifying, lower room price elsewhere online a free night and the rest of the stay to match the price.
About the Holiday Inn® brand
With over 1,200 hotels worldwide, the Holiday Inn® brand is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, the Holiday Inn brand was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. The Holiday Inn brand provides the services that business travelers need, while also offering a comfortable atmosphere where all people can relax and enjoy amenities such as restaurants and room service, swimming pools, fitness centers and comfortable lounges. The casual atmosphere and amenities such as meeting and on-site business facilities, Kids Eat and Stay Free programs, and KidSuites rooms at every Holiday Inn Resort hotel demonstrates the long-standing commitment of the Holiday Inn brand to serving travelers and have helped to establish the brand as "America's Favorite Hotel." And now, the Holiday Inn brand has been ranked "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-scale Full Service Hotel Chains", according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 and 2012 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM. For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort, including IHG's vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations, or to book reservations, visit www.holidayinn.com. Find us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/holidayinn or Facebook www.Facebook.com/holidayinnhotels.
About IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts.
IHG manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 77 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
