Oman is likely to soon award contracts for the construction of two hotels in the precinct of the planned Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), an official was quoted as saying.

The five-star and four-star hotels are scheduled to open by the end of 2016 or early 2017, said a report in Oman Daily Observer.

Tenders submitted by various contractors are currently being evaluated and the results will soon be intimated, said Ahmed El Hassan, senior project manager, Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, in the Observer report.

Upon completion these hotels will offer more than 1,000 rooms, the report said.

Contractors have also been asked submit tenders by the beginning of May for the construction of the 3,200-seater lyric-style tiered auditorium, 2 banquet halls, ball rooms, two meeting rooms and the associated facilities of the centre.