Tuesday, Sep 15, 2015

Dubai: Accor Hotels, a French hotel operator, has signed a management agreement for two hotels in Iran, making it the first international hotel company to open in the country, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The hotels — Novotel IKIA and ibis IKIA — are connected to the main terminal of Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. They are scheduled to open next month.

The agreement was signed with Aria Ziggurat, an Iranian company that owns the hotels.

“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,” said Sébastien Bazin, Accor’s chairman and chief executive, in a statement.

Aimed at both domestic and international business travellers, the hotels feature nearly 500 rooms altogether (296 rooms in the midscale Novotel IKIA and 196 in the economy property ibis IKIA).

Iran is opening up its economy following a deal last July on its nuclear program between the country and six world powers.

Accor currently manages 71 hotels (with 17,300 rooms) in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen.

Staff Report

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