I haven't come across this thread before, and want to chime in on a few things as someone based in Muscat... and because this being Oman, information is either unavailable or released in the vaguest, loosely-worded and most self-contradictory of ways:

• Oman's COVID numbers have been bad - we had a spell for a few weeks this summer with over 2000 cases and 30+ deaths a day, the hospitals are overflowing and Oman is the slowest vaccinator in the region. Despite the government oscillating between gently urging people to follow the rules and threatening the punishment of lockdowns, the general attitude is that now that the vaccines are here, COVID is over. Omanis have been gathering and having their weddings and family events at home, and they are the biggest load of new cases... yet the government has been working extra hard to placate them by removing the mandatory week-long institutional hotel quarantine on arrival into the country for Omanis while mandating that it stays in place for all non-Omanis. Now the Omanis get to go to their multi-generational homes, and come what may.
• CanaryWharf said it: Oman is in no rush to reopen. It's strange because their economy is falling off a cliff, and with the entire country propped up on money borrowed from other countries and international organizations for decades, their characterfully slow realization that oil isn't going to be the backbone of their welfare state and now COVID exacerbating their weaknesses, times are tough. The current Sultan has his hands full coming into a country that's had the same ruler for 50 years, dealing with the distrust of being a new face, having to deal with the bad numbers Oman is running on, needing to trim the largesse and at the same time placate a growing population demanding that their welfare rights are met... so Oman has been going on a populist bender these last few months by opening up new public sector jobs in the police/state security/intelligence services and Omanizing private sector jobs, with hundreds of thousands of expats having already left and more leaving by the day.
• The tourism industry has been massacred; it's bad enough with COVID, but the Omani government has really done a number on the local industry by keeping everything closed and not being imaginative or pragmatic with how to keep things running. Hotels barely have single-digit occupancy during the week and might crawl up to 30-odd percent on weekends, shop vendors in souks are waiting for some form of deliverance and the general attitude is one that is increasingly burning out... but of course, being essentially an authoritarian state [albeit a gentler one than, say, the UAE and Saudi Arabia], nobody airs their grievances publicly.
• We just started a 24-hour stay-at-home lockdown that will be in effect until July 24th, at which point we're going to a 5 PM to 4 AM curfew through the end of July. This might be extended into August; we'll only know closer to the end of the current month. The pattern here is consistent with the rest of the world: cases go up, lockdown. Cases go down, everything reopens and when the cases go back up, lockdown. They really like their lockdowns here.
• Oman confusingly announced that the governorates of Musandam in the north and Dhofar in the southwest are open to visitors, and will ONLY be open to residents of Oman who have received at least one dose of a vaccine recognized by Oman whereas foreigners must have had TWO doses of a locally-recognized vaccine... this being said while all land and air borders remain closed and no directives given to reopen them. Do note that Oman currently recognizes the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik and Sinopharm vaccines. I got the J&J shot in the United States last month, and it's as good as nothing here since they don't recognize it nor do they have any mechanisms in place yet to recognize vaccine certificates issued outside Oman. Also, vaccination status for the time being doesn't matter: if you enter the country from outside, you're quarantining for a week at home if you're Omani and at a hotel if you're not, period. Everyone also has to pay for a test pre-arrival, another test on arrival, a tracking bracelet, another test on your eighth day of quarantine and a fee to remove the bracelet.

It's a bleak situation and outlook, and while I'm aware that many places around the world are dealing with the Delta variant and a new round of closures that no doubt is impacting people's attitudes, I can only speak to the frustration of what's going on here. It's irritating. Many if not most governments have proven to be in over their heads with managing this pandemic, and Oman has taken a particularly lazy and heavy-handed approach at handling things, and it doesn't help when they're visibly and politically placating their locals at the expense of foreigners; it sets the wrong tone and is making things more xenophobic.

Some thoughts about about the hotels:

• I've only been to the Chedi once for lunch a few months ago, and I'm cognizant of its status as a stomping ground for the affluent traveler; being a Gulf national, the Chedi has been especially popular with the Gulf crowd who come to conspicuously consume and ride the status of staying there. The grounds are lovely, but a massive row of faceless multi-story apartment blocks has come up on one end and looms over the property, and the aesthetic - although clean and minimalist - is dated. The time to renovate is yesterday.
• The Grand Hyatt is as ancient as always, having been untouched [except for the TVs] since it opened in 1998: green carpet, wallpaper in the bathroom, brass fixtures - they've got it all. It's kitschy, but it's old and it sadly feels that way. They discussed renovation plans in 2019, but being a family-owned hotel that has moved between different members of the family, I suspect this one is going to stay this way even after the pandemic clears up.
• The W is nice and I lived out of it for two months last year, but it feels out of place here: the boom boom music and "too cool for school" vibe grind against the laid-back character of Muscat, and it's become one of those playgrounds for moneyed Omanis to park their G-Classes, McLarens and Rolls-Royces outside while they drink juice and take staged Instagram shots all over the hotel.
• The InterContinental looks like a parking garage, but is a well-located classic and their renovation has done a great job to make the property appealing. These are probably the nicest physical rooms in Muscat at this point, and two of their restaurants, Takara [Japanese] and Tomato [Italian], are fantastic.
• Haven't been to the Shangri-La since my stay in 2013, but I hear it's getting on in age and design.
• On the horizon, a Jumeirah property is opening in the Muscat Bay development near the Shangri-La. They're aiming to create a local feel by trying to source and work with local vendors, and their current plan after years of delays is to open by November this year.
• As sophialite and SanDiego1K mentioned, there's a new Alila in Dhofar, an hour from Salalah. I stayed there this month and had a most fantastic experience at what I believe is now the best hotel in the country, and one could easily build a delicious trip to Oman by flying into Muscat, spending a few days in the city before zipping up to Alila Jabal Akhdar [a magnificent property that really allows you to appreciate the sheer drama and confident stateliness of the mountains], then cutting down to Dhofar and experiencing Alila Hinu Bay. The two properties really complement one another and provide "Oman on a plate" for those looking to get the most out of their experience.

Don't get me wrong: I love this country. Of all the Gulf states, this one has the most to offer by way of its incredible scenery, the warmth of its people, the diversity of its identity and the fact that it actually maintains its authenticity instead of having to build it from the ground up [looking at you, Dubai and Doha]. I hope every minute of every day that they get their act together and can stage a calculated, constructive reopening that will allow them to share this country with the world again, and once again mutually benefit from having people come back in to boost their economy and for people to enjoy it here, because it is magical and it is so worth it.

I apologize for the verbose nature of this post, but I hope it helps some of you out there with understanding what's going on here and can guide your thoughts as you plan future travel. If anyone has any questions or thoughts, please feel free to reach out.

khabah