The Chedi Muscat
Al Ghubrah, Muscat, Oman
The Chedi Muscat remains one of Oman’s most recognisable design-led hotels, and it still earns attention through restraint rather than spectacle. Its long pools, low-rise architecture and measured service style create a sense of calm that feels notably different from the flashier end of GCC luxury. It is a hotel with a settled identity, which helps explain its longevity. This suits travellers who care more about atmosphere and elegant simplicity than about maximal resort theatrics. In a regional ranking increasingly shaped by new openings, The Chedi’s endurance is part of the argument for inclusion: it has stayed relevant without chasing trend-led reinvention. It remains in the top ten because it contributes a more serene and mature version of Gulf luxury, and because Muscat’s hotel story would feel incomplete without it.