Germany to build 10 five-star hotels in Iran

Iran and Germany signed a 10-year agreement for building 10 five-star hotels in different parts of Iran, Isna reported.

The agreement has been signed between Germany and Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization.

Puneet Chhatwal, Executive Director of Steigenberger Hotels who has traveled to Iran along with a group of its consultants had a meeting with senior officials of Iranian Cultural heritage and Tourism Organization.

The MoU which involves some articles has been concluded for establishing tourism infrastructures in Iran.

“Grounds have been provided for building 10 five-star hotels through Turkish investment. We are also building some hotels in Mashhad (northeastern Iran) jointly with Arabs,” said Head of the Iranian organization Masoud Soltani-Far in the meeting.

He said Azerbaijani companies and Iran has agreed on early building of 3-5 hotels in some parts of Iran frequently visited by tourists.

 A 10-year agreement for building 10 five-star hotels in different parts of Iran was signed Sunday between visiting Puneet Chhatwal, Executive Director of Germany’s Steigenberger Hotels and Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization in Tehran (Photo credit: Isna)

Puneet Chhatwal, for his part, said “We are seriously making efforts to facilitate the presence of our group here in Iran. Iran is an important country in the region and its rich cultural background has turned it into an attractive destination for visitors.”

He said Iran is of strategic position for developing tourism.

Earlier in January, UAE-based hotel group Rotana said it is set to open four hotels in Iran within next two years, two in the city of Mashhad set to be completed by the end of 2017, and  two in Tehran due to open in 2018.

With improved relations, Iran’s beaches, breathtaking Islamic architecture and incredible food could see the country soar to the top of the ‘must-visit’ destinations of 2016.

In January, Iranian media reported that the country’s biggest five-star hotel, the Espinas Palace, has just been officially opened.

Espinas Palace has been constructed on a 15,000 sq metre site and sports restaurants and cafes, conference halls, and a 2,500 seat concert hall.

As Iran’s largest five-star hotel with over 500 rooms, ‘Espinas Palace’ Hotel was  inaugurated in March

Iran also plans to build another 125 luxury hotels as it pushes on with plans to be this year’s must-see destination

Accor, which is Europe’s largest hotel group, has already constructed two four-star hotels at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside the Iranian capital.

Melia Hotels and Jumeirah Hotel Group are also considering expansion into Iran.

A Spanish hotel operator has also said it plans to open what is described as Iran’s first foreign-branded seaside hotel as early as next year.

Melia Hotels International SA plans to open the five-star property in a 130-meter (427-feet) tower on the Caspian Sea as early as next year, the Spanish hotel operator said in a statement in March.

Iran will probably have almost 900 hotels within five years, compared with 768 now, according to a forecast by Euromonitor International. Lodging revenue is set to increase about 25 percent during that time, the firm predicts, as the number of visitors is forecast to grow by a similar percentage to 6.3 million.

The country is home to 19 Unesco-registered sites, including the ancient city of Bisotun.

Even before sanctions are lifted, the number of foreigners visiting Iran has grown 12 per cent in each of the past two years.

In 2014, Iran hosted over five million tourists, bringing in some $7.5 billion (£4.8 billion) in revenue.

About half were Shiite Muslims, the same religious denomination as most Iranians, and the other half were tourists from Europe, North America and east Asia.

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