AccorHotels will move into Iran for the first time next month, with the opening of two new airport hotels in the country’s capital Tehran.
The European hotel group has signed a management agreement with Aria Ziggurat for the Novotel IKIA and ibis IKIA, a dual-branded hotel complex that will be connected to the main terminal of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Both hotels are scheduled to open in October 2015, making AccorHotels the first international hotel group to launch in Iran.
“We are very excited about signing this partnership with Aria Ziggurat in Iran. We are certain that Novotel and ibis will fit perfectly into the growth momentum that Iran’s hospitality sector is enjoying,” Sébastien Bazin, AccorHotels’ chairman & CEO, said at a press conference in Tehran.
“Our brands are looking at huge growth potential in this country, which is home to almost 80 million people and is expanding its economy. Our ambition is to develop an important network in the country thanks to our global portfolio of brands covering all segments, from luxury to midscale and economy.”
The dual hotel will offer almost 500 rooms (296 at Novotel IKIA and 196 at ibis IKIA), plus restaurants serving Iranian and international cuisine, conference and banqueting facilities, spas, fitness centres and swimming pools.
According to the Al Monitor news service, the head of Iran’s cultural and tourism organisation has vowed to build 400 new three- and four-star hotels in the next decade. These would add to the country’s existing portfolio of 1,100 hotels, although fewer than 150 of these are midscale quality or higher.
AccorHotels currently manages 71 hotels in 10 Middle Eastern countries, with a total inventory of more than 17,000 rooms.
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