IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is continuing to reinforce its presence in Oman with the opening of Crowne Plaza Duqm today. The new hotel will join IHG's three existing Crowne Plaza hotels in Oman's major cities – Muscat, Sohar and Salalah - as well as InterContinental Muscat.  The beachfront hotel is located near the rapidly expanding port and dry dock at Duqm. With the launch of activity at Duqm Commercial Port earlier this month and the expected opening of Duqm International Airport in 2014, the hotel is set to capture the growing corporate travel market.

Crowne Plaza Duqm's 213 spacious rooms including 21 suites all offer direct sea views. Guests can enjoy the hotel's outdoor pool area, fully equipped fitness centre and five restaurants and lounges. There is plenty to do outside the hotel, too, thanks to its picturesque location on Duqm beachfront; explore beautiful natural beaches, wander down Duqm Corniche, or discover the geological rock gardens, all in the nearby area.

In addition to the hotel's leisure facilities, Crowne Plaza Duqm offers state of the art business and meeting facilities including a 780 m² Event Centre, which includes two ballrooms and one boardroom. The Event Centre also comprises a business centre and four separate meeting rooms.

Crowne Plaza Duqm presents a variety of cuisines to suit every palate. Souq is the hotel's all-day-dining restaurant, while Frontier will cater to the sports fan looking to catch up on all the latest sporting action. Gastronomic delights await diners at Al Safi, which treats guests to a spectacular seafood dining experience. At Splash, the poolside snack bar, guests can enjoy a refreshing drink from the comfort of their sun lounger.

Ali Salih
, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Duqm, commented: "Duqm is fast becoming a hotspot for travel and business within Oman. With the hotel's location on the beachfront combined with its premium business facilities we are confident that Crowne Plaza Duqm is an attractive offering for business and leisure guests alike. We look forward to a successful opening period."

Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Office, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, added: "Thanks to its focus on growing its travel tourism industry, Oman continues to be an important market for us in the Middle East. With the new opening of Crowne Plaza Duqm, we now operate hotels spanning from Muscat right down to Salalah. We are delighted to now be open in Duqm as it continues its exciting expansion."

IHG opened InterContinental Muscat in 1997, the city's first five-star hotel. The group also now operates four Crowne Plaza hotels in Duqm, Muscat, Sohar and Salalah, with InterContinental Muscat Hills and Holiday Inn Muscat Airport in the development pipeline.

About IHG^®

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.

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