Meliá Hotels International is entering the Iranian market. The Gran Meliá Ghoo Hotel will be located in the a mixed residential, commercial and hotel complex being built in Salman Shahr, a popular holiday destination on the Caspian Sea.
The largest development of its kind in Iran, the “Ghoo, Middle East Diamond” is being built by Iranian businessman and investor Ahad Azimzadeh.
In addition to the hotel, the resort will also feature two residential towers, a sports centre, parking and a retail mall (already open), all within a 1,937,504 square feet area.
Iran expects to see significant tourism development after the lifting of sanctions that have restricted foreign investment since 2006. It expects more than 20 million visitors a year by 2025, compared to the current five million.
GRAN MELIÁ GHOO
The Meliá property will occupy a 130-meter high tower. It will have 319 deluxe rooms of different types including a 5,400-square-foot Presidential Suite. It will also have more than 14,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities.
Other services and amenities include:
- seven restaurants and bars
- a spa
- diverse leisure and shopping facilities
“We have always been pioneers in the development of new markets in the travel and tourism industry, so it is a great challenge for us to be involved in a project, which is so important for the future of the industry in this country, in a historic moment for the international relations within the area,” said Gabriel Escarrer, vice-chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International. “We firmly believe in Iran’s tourism potential and I am also very proud to have earned the trust of our partners in the management of this hotel, a further demonstration that we are a significant international player for the most prestigious hotel projects anywhere in the world.”
Ahad Azimzadeh said that this is a historical moment for Iran’s tourism. “Tourism brings social and economic development to a community, as well as people and cultures,” he explained. “Ghoo, Middle East Diamond will mark a turning point in tourism in Iran and the modern and avant-garde hotel and resort’s sector.”
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