One of the new Hyatt properties I’ve been most looking forward to has finally opened this weekend. While I’m not sure I’ll realistically be able to visit anytime soon, it sure is on my bucket list, so I wanted to recap the basics of this property for anyone else who might be interested.
In this post:
Alila Hinu Bay opens in June 2021
My two favorite Hyatt brands are Park Hyatt and Alila, with the latter being a fairly new addition to Hyatt’s portfolio, thanks to Hyatt’s acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality a few years back.
The Alila brand is growing at a decent pace, especially in the United States. For example, in the past few months we’ve seen the opening of two new properties in California — the Alila Marea Beach and the Alila Napa Valley. However, there’s another property I’ve been even more excited about.
Alila Marea Beach
Specifically, the Alila Hinu Bay in Oman has opened as of June 20, 2021. While the hotel was initially supposed to open at the end of 2020, it’s not a surprise to see the opening delayed given the pandemic, and all of the travel restrictions that have gone along with it.
Alila Hinu Bay pool area
This beach property is located on the southwest coast of Oman. It’s about 90 kilometers from Salalah International Airport, or you can drive there from Muscat, but it’s over 1,000 kilometers.
Here’s what we know so far about the new Alila Hinu Bay:
- There are 112 accommodations, including 96 guest rooms and 16 pool villas; the five accommodation types range from 645 square feet to 1,883 square feet
- Alila Hinu Bay has a couple of restaurants, in addition to the lobby lounge — The Orchard is the all day dining restaurant serving international cuisine, and Seasalt is the dinner restaurant serving Asian and Western cuisine
- Spa Alila is the name of the hotel’s spa
Alila Hinu Bay layout
Alila Hinu Bay The Orchard Restaurant
Alila Hinu Bay Seasalt Restaurant
Alila Hinu Bay lobby lounge
Alila Hinu Bay spa
While I’m not sure what exactly to expect from this property, what I do know from experience is that Oman is a gorgeous country, and the coastline is beautiful.
What is pricing like at Alila Hinu Bay?
As you’d expect, pricing at Alila Hinu Bay varies significantly based on the season. For example, over the coming months and over summer, I see rates of under $300 per night.
Meanwhile over festive season I see rates of over $700 per night.
I’d imagine that pricing will only increase over time, given that the hotel will have to work hard to generate business at first, given the pandemic. If you do book a revenue stay here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program, so you can receive extra perks, like free breakfast, a property credit, and more.
Redeeming points at Alila Hinu Bay
Alila Hinu Bay is a Category 5 World of Hyatt property, meaning you can expect to pay the following amounts for free night redemptions here:
- 20,000 World of Hyatt points for a free night in a standard room
- 32,000 World of Hyatt points for a free night in a standard suite
- 40,000 World of Hyatt points for a free night in a premium suite
Personally I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me that means a night in a standard room will “cost” somewhere around $300 in terms of the value of points. That’s not an amazing deal compared to the paid rates when the hotel first opens, while it is an amazing deal compared to the festive pricing.
This pairs well with Alila Jabal Akhdar
Independently I’m excited about Alila Hinu Bay. However, what makes this the most exciting new Hyatt opening for me is how nicely this pairs with Alila Jabal Akhdar, also in Oman.
Alila Jabal Akhdar
Alila Jabal Akhdar is located in the Al Hajar mountain range, over 2,000 meters above sea level, and it’s a property that I’ve been wanting to visit for years. I’ve specifically been holding off until Alila Hinu Bay opens, so I can make a trip of the whole thing. I’ve heard great things about this property, and the views really do look breathtaking.
Alila Jabal Akhdar view
The two hotels seem to complement one another perfectly — one lets you enjoy the mountains, while the other lets you enjoy the beach and coast.
Alila Jabal Akhdar room
Alila Jabal Akhdar pool
Bottom line
Alila Hinu Bay has finally opened, despite Oman’s ongoing border restrictions. I’m tempted to lock in a speculative booking for this winter, when things hopefully return back to normal a bit more, and the weather is also better.
Being able to visit these two Alila properties in Oman will be a real treat when the time is right. And it can be a great value as well, between being able to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points, and also being able to take advantage of Globalist elite benefits, like getting a confirmed suite upgrade.
Anyone else excited about checking out the two Alilas in Oman?
I must be missing the appeal of this resort. It’s in the middle of nowhere and the beach does not look particularly scenic—if the promotional hotel photos look meh I can’t imagine it being that great in person. It’s also rather set back from the water so even the rooms that have a water view don’t look like anything special (unless you want to look at a ton of sand with the water in the...
I must be missing the appeal of this resort. It’s in the middle of nowhere and the beach does not look particularly scenic—if the promotional hotel photos look meh I can’t imagine it being that great in person. It’s also rather set back from the water so even the rooms that have a water view don’t look like anything special (unless you want to look at a ton of sand with the water in the distance). That being said, you can go on points, so I understand why you would want to go and I would certainly be curious in a trip report as maybe I am missing something.
On the other hand, the Alila Jabal Akhdar does look amazing, so I’m interested in a trip report on that one. And of course the Six Senses in Oman looks great, so I think if I were to go to Oman I would try to combine those two hotels (albeit the Six Senses is in a totally different price range than the Alila Hinu Bay, and you already reviewed it so I understand the desire to try something new).
looks beautiful...but i dont get it. its in the middle of nowhere. what is there to do in the mountains?
regardless, i also really want to visit Oman (just not these specific places per se). Also to note, Oman dropped visa requirements for 103 countries recently to boost tourism, including the US, Brazil, and others! so thats great news.
this is definitely a trip report im excited to read, ive heard wonderful things about Oman.
Ben, what have you found out about globalist suite upgrades at this property? Accepted or no?
90 km from Salalah in the middle of nowhere? Not my kind of vacation. Two years ago i spent a lovely vacation in the Hilton Salalah. And i loved being able to drive into Salalah in the evening, visit the mosque, eat in a lebanese restaurant, check out the local mall and visit some of the historical sites nearby.
90km from Salalah means it's probably for people who don't leave hotel. Oman is great, when you drive around and see it.
Oman is really nice, but like the other gulf countries, they exploit labor from South Asia and the Philippines.
On one hand, (for them) the workers earn a lot, but their living conditions are cramped and their employers hold onto their passports to prevent them from leaving. During covid, many were prevented from going home.
Oman is a great place to visit if you have a reason to be in SA or the...
Oman is really nice, but like the other gulf countries, they exploit labor from South Asia and the Philippines.
On one hand, (for them) the workers earn a lot, but their living conditions are cramped and their employers hold onto their passports to prevent them from leaving. During covid, many were prevented from going home.
Oman is a great place to visit if you have a reason to be in SA or the gulf.
Avoid Yemen — it was not safe when an acquaintance visited in 2003 and I imagine it’s much worse with SA and Iran using it as proxy grounds.
I converted to Islam in 1997 and performed my Hajj back in ‘99 and spent 6 months travelling around the region to learn about the history of my new faith!
Ben, this is a trip report I am excited to read. So yes, I'm giving you permission to go ahead and book it. ;)
Oman is one of my favourite destinations in the Middle East. There is another fantastic resort up in the Hajar mountain range, the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar which offers more facilities and a more diverse selection of restaurants than the Hyatt property, but any hotel choice up in the mountains will not disappoint.