Plan for major underwater hotel

Plan for major underwater hotel

 

 

A Swiss-based firm specialising in the promotion of innovative technologies says it is keen to set up Oman’s first underwater hotel — a venture that will serve as a showcase of the country’s spectacular and diverse aquatic wealth. BIG InvestConsult AG, which represents the revolutionary Water Discus concept of underwater leisure projects developed by Poland’s Deep Ocean Technologies, insists the Sultanate is ideally suited to host an undersea hotel.

According to Bogdan Gutkowski, President and CEO of BIG InvestConsult, Oman’s magnificent coastal settings and rich aquatic life makes it a perfect location for the establishment of a luxury holiday hideaway, along with a coral garden. “In our internal analysis, Oman has been defined as one of those locations where the Water Discus Hotel could be implemented. The project is still in the conceptual stage. However, we have planned to find an exact location within 3-4 months. Then we will start to develop the project and look for a co-investor,” he added in exclusive comments to the Observer.

Last May, BIG InvestConsult signed an agreement with Dubai-based Drydocks World and its sister company Maritime World, jointly naming them as the exclusive principal contractor for all construction work linked to its underwater leisure and related projects in the Gulf region. The company also unveiled patent-protected designs depicting a futuristic hotel that rests on the seafloor but also towers above the water surface. Dubbed the Water Discus Hotel, the project consists of two components: an underwater residential disc and an above water leisure disc fitted with a couple of satellite extensions. Together, they offer guests the opportunity of a holiday amid the magnificence of the ocean environment, complete with vibrant marine life, an abundance of coral reefs, and the tropical warmth of their underwater world.

The discs are connected to three sturdy legs that rest on the seafloor, while a shaft in the centre has a lift and stairway that connects the discs. A standard model of a Water Discus Hotel envisages 21 luxuriously appointed rooms built some 10 metres below the water surface. Huge windows offer stunning views of the surrounding underwater flora and fauna. The proposed project, Gutkowski said, has the potential to rivet international tourism interest in Oman’s breathtaking 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). For sure, it will be add value to the surrounding landscape, because of its unique architectural design. We sincerely hope that the Water Discus Hotel location and construction could be a part of Oman’s tourism strategy in promoting of the country as a really unique leisure place.”

A consulting, engineering and brokerage firm, BIG InvestConsult’s business interests span many sectors, notably oil and gas, offshore services, marine engineering, production outsourcing, and renewable energy.