Originally Posted by khabah

I've spent quite a chunk of time at this hotel over the last few weeks, and have the following feedback:

• The service is WAY better than it was when I stayed in November. Staff is much friendlier, more personable and approachable than the cold, too-cool-for-school vibe I got from the staff the first time around.
• Upgraded from a base room to a Marvelous Suite with separate bedroom and living room. If you're in the X01 and X40 suites, be warned: the protruding extension of the hotel's T shape will eat up the view from your bedroom window, and as such will stare right into the wall of the building.
• The pool remains phenomenal; I'm not sure if it's heated but it's refreshingly cool and comfortable to lounge in. The 1.1 meter depth and the fact that it's open 24 hours make it all the better.
• Breakfast - when it was available in the restaurant - was way better than during my first stay, with more variety and a higher-quality feel to the food. I found the options to initially be lackluster and basic, but there's far more imagination now - i.e. an antipasti station with several different salads rotating daily.

In keeping with Oman's new regulations due to COVID-19, the hotel's restaurants and bars closed with all F&B relegated to in-room dining, like other hotels around the world. The room service menu changed a few times over the course of our stay, but the staff must be credited for being flexible enough to cook off-menu dishes or recreate some items that were on the buffet but not the menu.

Fun fact: I was talking with one of the managers about the hotel, and he told me that it was initially supposed to be a Luxury Collection property as part of the original plans that would have seen the neighboring InterContinental monstrosity torn down and replaced by a Westin and Element. The owners yo-yoed from LC to W back to LC, and got far enough to drawing up design plans and selecting fit-out materials when they decided to switch back to W. Oman's strict building code aside, that would explain the hotel's architecture... and now all I can see is how much better this hotel would work for Muscat if it did open as an LC property. This is a beautiful W, but I'm still conflicted if W is right for the laid-back atmosphere and neutral character of Oman.

I'm glad the hotel is upping its game, and hope this virus craziness will wind down soon so that business can bounce back.

khabah