Since its opening in 2003 as Oman’s first contemporary beach hotel, the Chedi Muscat has become a mandatory reference among the 5-star Arabic hospitality propositions. Uniquely located between the majestic Al Hajar Mountains and the clear waters of the Gulf of Oman, its sublime yet central location perfectly suits both leisure and business travelers. We talked with General Manager Karim Bizid about the hotel’s particular advantages and its privileged role in promoting Omani tourism as part of the Sultanate’s economic diversification agenda.
One World Media: What makes The Chedi stand out from other boutique hotels and resorts on the island?
The Chedi Muscat is like a breath of fresh air. In fact, little in the rest of the Gulf comes close to it. The resort is built on 86.000 sqm but only 15% of the total land is occupied. This means that for each room we have more than 500 sqm of landscape, making it a true twenty-one-acre garden oasis with 330 Omani palms, 13 water ponds, 10 falajs, a 383 m long private beach, 1500 sqm of spa and gym facilities, 13 suites, 158 guestrooms and villas with six different room types for travelers to choose from and our signature 103 m long pool, made of lava stones, the longest pool in the region.
On the other hand, while Oman is a unique place with everything it needs to compete with the most known luxury destinations in the world, what sets us apart is our people, our Omani hospitality. Here at the Chedi Muscat 70% of our workforce are Omanis. We need to continue building on them to always deliver top notch services.
OWM: How do you cater for a variety of guests from families to those doing business within Oman?
Keeping constant personal interaction with all guests and partners to learn about their needs is the key to our success. As guests keep on changing habits, we are adapting our knowledge, services and training to cater and wow each one of them. Also, we continuously adapt our packages according to the time of the year and seasonality. From Valentines packages to Eastern Holiday packages to weekend packages for the stay-cation lovers, we have something for everyone. It is a continuous journey to put a smile on all our guests.
OWM: The Chedi is home to eight culinary venues from around the world. What can guests expect when dining here?
Continuously improving our culinary journey is our strength. We work with great chefs to adapt our cuisine and menus to the wishes of our guests. You almost don’t need a menu at The Chedi. We will cook what you feel like eating during your stay with us. We are talking about having a personal chef for your stay. We offer a 5-star cosmopolitan culinary experience at our six restaurants and two lounges, serving exquisite Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavours. From our award-winning Beach Restaurant, known for its Omani fish delicatesse to the Long Pool (our Japanese restaurant), and passing through our main restaurant where Middle East Food is served, our guests have several culinary journeys to choose from.
OWM: Tourism is a growing sector in Oman and has been prioritized within the Oman Vision 2040. What makes The Chedi such an important part in Oman’s tourism expansion?
The Chedi is a legacy in Muscat and this year we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. Over the last two decades, our hotel has played a key role in positioning Oman, and Muscat in particular, in the high-end luxury segment. A big part of our contribution to the sector lies in our efforts in the training and personal development of our local personnel. With the increase in competition among the luxury segment, it is always easy to get experienced people from other hotels rather than building a new team with no experience. Keeping highly qualified and well-trained colleagues has been a priority for us, and today over 35% of our talented colleagues are with us since the pre-opening. Definitely, maintaining the true assets of our industry, our people, is what I call the true art of leadership in hospitality.
On the other hand, the Chedi is more than just a beach resort. We are an international brand and thanks to our success we continue to expand exponentially. We ended 2022 with two new hotel openings and the singing of two coveted management agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: the Chedi Wadi Safar in Diryah and the partnership with Trojena, a unique perennial mountain destination and host venue for the 2029 Asian Winter Games. Our biggest highlight was the successful lunch of The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort in Doha, Qatar, on November 2022. Also, last December we unveiled The Chedi El Gouna, in Egypt’s Red Sea. Overall, we increased our portfolio exponentially by 40% to six operating hotels and bolstered our aggressive pipeline of projects under development.
In the future we expect to keep on growing both in Oman and abroad, but above all we will continue building further on simplicity and humbleness to welcome and serve others the Omani way, like no other country does, which I believe is ultimately the key to Oman’s tourism expansion. The perspectives for the sector are certainly encouraging. The new luxury brands entering Oman –many of them big names like St. Regis, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott and Four Seasons- and the excellent work done by all partners, will only lead to better synergy between all these investors, positioning our lovely country high in the sky.
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