By Omar al-Shaher for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Taxi drivers in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, are keen to tell every non-Kurdish person they give a ride to that there are more hotels […]
By John Lee. According to property consultancy Colliers, there is a "clear market opportunity" to develop branded hotel projects in Erbil. Construction Weekly Online reports occupancy rates are increasing, and the construction of a new airport in the city has had a positive effect on the numbers of both business and leisure tourists. The total […]
HMS Infotech has announced an alliance with Ejaftech as their channel partner in Iraq for reselling Hotelogix to the hospitality industry there. Hotelogix is a cloud based Property Management System (PMS) and Online Distribution System, used by small and medium sized hospitality businesses in over 50 countries across the globe today. (Source: HMS Infotech)
Hilton Worldwide today announced its expansion in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan into the city of Sulaymaniyah following the signing of a management agreement with Kurdonia Company for Tourism & Hospitality Ltd, owned fully by Hiwa Rauf Company. The new build, 223-room DoubleTree by Hilton Sulaymaniyah is expected to open early 2015. The hotel will […]
By John Lee. Abu Dhabi's Cristal Group, which plans to open its first Baghdad hotel, the Cristal Grand Ishtar, at the start of May, says it wants to expand beyond Baghdad to Erbil, Karbala, Basra and Suleimanya in the next two years. Referring to Baghdad and most of the country outside the Kurdistan region, Peter […]
By John Lee. Baghdad's Palestine Hotel, famous for housing foreign journalists during the US-led invasion of Iraq, has since undergone a makeover. Hotel manager Fadhel Salman Hassan told AFP: "We are a five-star establishment ... We have 405 rooms, three bars [and] by order of the minister of electricity, the power never cuts." The hotel […]
Cristal Group, a premier luxury hospitality company in the Middle East, announced the opening of the landmark Ishtar Hotel on Monday, now renamed the Cristal Grand Ishtar Hotel. One of the tallest buildings in Baghdad, Iraq, the 20-storey property features 307 rooms and suites, comprising of 92 Standard king rooms, 111 Standard twin rooms, 62 […]
By John Lee. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced it has signed an agreement with BCD Co. to introduce its destination sensation brand, Aloft Hotels, to Iraq's emerging commercial hub. The opening of the new Aloft Erbil in 2015 will mark the launch of the Aloft brand into Iraq. Created to shake up the traditional […]
By John Lee. The Baghdad Investment Commission has granted investment licenses for a five-star hotel, complete with shopping mall, in the Karrada area of central Baghdad. The Head of the Commission, Shaker al-Zamili [Shaker al-Zamili, Shaker A Shabib] (pictured), said the hotel will be sited in Masbeh Street, and will also include an information center, […]
By John Lee. Hilton Worldwide has announced expansion plans in Iraqi Kurdistan with the signing of a management agreement with the Mihtab Group to develop the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in the rapidly growing city of Erbil. The 300-room Hilton Erbil Hotel & Spa, which is expected to open in 2016, will be the […]
Coral Hotels & Resorts, announced its plans to open Coral Boutique Hotel Baghdad in Iraq. The deluxe property will be operated by Coral under a management agreement with United Iraqi Trading Company. Situated in the heart of Baghdad in one of most prestigious avenues inJadriya area, the Coral Boutique Hotel Baghdad is merely 5 kilometers […]
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has signed an agreement with BCD Co. to manage a new-build Sheraton hotel in Erbil, Iraq. Scheduled to open in 2015, the Sheraton Erbil Hotel will mark the re-entry of Starwood in the country after 20 years. Located in the new part of the city, approximately 10 minutes from Erbil […]
