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Muscat hotels prepare for the worst

Hotels in Muscat are preparing for the worst as 260 kilometres per hour winds sweep towards the Omani coastline.

Several hotels have already begun taking preventative measures to remove their guests from danger and limit any potential damage that could be caused by Tropical Cyclone Gonu.
"We have moved the guests to rooms at higher ground and also to rooms further from the beach," said York Brandes, general manager, The Chedi Muscat, a low-rise beachfront property that would be particularly vulnerable to large waves and high winds.

"We have moved every moveable item into storage rooms, so the beach and pool areas have been cleared and also the water levels of the hotel pool have been lowered."

Similar precautions are being taken at Shangri-La's new Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa, where the beachfront and poolside have also been cleared of all furniture that is not bolted to the ground.

"We sent a letter to all the rooms and the guests are being informed what is going on," said Marta Andreeva, director of communications at the property.

"We are even organising a cocktail for them tonight since the weather is not so sunny today.

She continued: "It keeps changing course - an hour ago they said it is going straight to Iran and that it won't even hit here, so for now we are not in an immediate danger zone, but we are keeping an eye on it. We are just waiting to see what happens."

In the business district, the Grand Hyatt Muscat has checked that all of its emergency facilities are in full working order and removed all outdoor furniture.

"We don't know what to expect; we don't want to create panic and send out clients running into disarray, but we have advised clients of all the info we know," said Richard Turner, director of sales and marketing at the hotel.

Sources in Oman have reported that winds are picking up and clouds are looming over the capital, but Gonu is yet to strike the mainland.

Gonu was expected to hit the shores of Oman by tomorrow morning, but the latest reports suggest that the storm has changed course and is now headed along the northeasterly coastline of Oman and proceed further north into Iran.

Neither Oman Air nor Emirates Airline have taken any action at this stage and no flights have been cancelled, but both said they would keep a close eye on the situation.

"With the present forecast there will be no impact on Emirates' operations in Dubai," said an Emirates spokesperson.

"All Emirates routes from/to the East are avoiding the affected area. We are monitoring the situation closely and will adjust our flight operations accordingly. The safety of our passengers and flights are our top priority."

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