Construction has commenced for the Cristal Grand Erbil Hotel, the second hotel to be operated by the group in the Kurdistan city, and its third in Iraq. The five-star flagship property will feature 160 rooms and suites when it opens in 2017, as well as several restaurants, a gym, spa and business centre, according to […]
By John Lee. BasNews quotes the Head of the Kurdistan Restaurant and Hoteliers Association, Hersh Ahmad, as saying that 74 of the region's 2,500 hotels have closed down in Erbil recently: “The main reason is the fight against the Islamic State (IS) ... And those which still operate have fired 50% of their staff, increasing […]
By John Lee. As long term observers of events in Iraq, the team at Iraq Business News thought we might have seen just about every unexpected story from a nation that continues to surprise. We'd heard of the popularity of the Japanese comic character Hello Kitty in Iraq or the trend among some young Iraqis for playing […]
By John Lee. Warwick International Hotels Group (WIH) has opened its portfolio new 300-room Babylon Warwick Hotel in Baghdad. The company has entered into a contract with Al Ebaa Company to manage the propertly, located on the edge of the Tigris River opposite of the USA Embassy. According to an announcement from the Groip, the hotel […]
By John Lee. The Basra Investment Commission has reportedly approved a number of projects including the construction of a 25-storey hotel and a shopping mall. According to a report from Zawya, Commission Chairman Ali Gasib said the luxury hotel would be located near the Shatt Al Arab river, while the shopping facility would be situated […]
By John Lee. Hotel management company Rotana has opened its second property in Iraq. The Karbala Rayhaan is a five-star property in the tourist city of Karbala, which attracts more than 12 million visitors a year. Omer Kaddouri, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said: “In 2012 Iraq posted a GDP growth rate of […]
By John Lee. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Claremont Group LLC, a New York-based real estate development company, for a Hyatt Regency hotel in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Expected to open in 2017, Hyatt Regency Sulaymaniyah will be the first Hyatt-branded hotel in […]
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani kicked off the nearly-$3-billion “Downtown Erbil” project on Sunday, calling the venture that is estimated to create 35,000 jobs and transform the face of the Kurdish capital, “a milestone for the Kurdistan Region.” “This project will be a source of pride and a source of income for thousands of families,” Barzani […]
Abu Dhabi-based Rotana, a leading hotel management company, announced the general manager and other senior appointments for its new property in Iraq, the five-star Karbala Rayhaan by Rotana. General manager Nader Mobader, a seasoned hospitality player with 18 years of industry experience in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, has been leading the team through […]
Erbil Oscar Premium Hotel is a well-known, 5-star property located in the heart of Erbil, Iraq, the city which is touted to be the 2014 tourism capital of Iraq. The hotel required a cost-effective pricing software that could manage the entire hotel’s departments, i.e. restaurants, gym and swimming pool, minibars, etc., in an extremely easy […]
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has signed an agreement with Mase Co LLC, a company managed by Brilliant Role Group, to open a new-build Sheraton hotel in Dohuk, in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in northern Iraq. Scheduled to debut early next year, the Sheraton Dohuk Hotel will be the first of four new Starwood hotels […]
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with approximately 7,380 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), has announced its entrance into Iraq with the opening of the newly-built, 71-room Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street in Kurdistan. The hotel opened on the same day as the Ramada Plaza Beirut Raouche in Beirut, Lebanon. […]
