Oman eyed for underwater hotel
Sultanate’s maritime wealth and scenery makes its the ‘ideal location’ for project
The firm behind the planned underwater hotel in Dubai, announced on Saturday that it was keen to set up Oman’s own underwater hotel project.
BIG InvestConsult, the Swiss-based firm that specialises in the promotion of innovative technologies, said that the Sultanate’s spectacular and diverse aquatic wealth would make it the ideal candidate for the Water Discus concept of underwater leisure projects.
“In our internal analysis, Oman has been defined as one of those locations where the Water Discus Hotel can be implemented. The project is still in the conceptual stage, however we have planned to find an exact location within three to four months,” said Bogdan Gutkowski, president and CEO of Big InvestConsult, according to a report by the Oman Daily Observer.
“We will start to develop the project and look for a co-investor (once the location is chosen),” he told the paper.
Developed by Poland’s Deep Ocean Technologies, the Dubai project consists of two components, an underwater residential disc and an above water leisure disc fitted with satellite extensions.
The discs are connected to three sturdy legs that rest on the seafloor, while a shift in the centre has a lift and stairway that will connect the discs.
According to plans released by BIG InvestConsult, the standard Water Discus Hotel will have 21 luxury rooms, built some ten metres below the surface. Each room will have panel windows that offer guests views of the surrounding environment.
Gutkowski added that the project would have the potential to drive international tourism interest in Oman and its maritime wealth.
“We expect the Water Discus Hotel will arouse great interest in the media as well as among the tourists, when it will be constructed. In the opinion of the marketing specialists of BIG InvestConsult AG, the Water Discus Hotel may become a symbol or signature of the city, region or country (where it is built),” he explained.
