1st Rezidor in Iraq by 2007
Carlson Rezidor has announced its first hotel in Iraq— the Radisson Blu Hotel, Erbil. Located in the Kurdistan region, the hotel is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2017.
With the arrival in Iraq, Rezidor is now present in 81 countries across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. “Our long-term strategy targets asset-light and sustainable growth with a specific focus on emerging markets. Kurdistan is one of the most interesting emerging markets in the Middle East: this prospering oil-rich region is not affected by instabilities in Iraq and offers considerable business potential. We carefully monitor safety and security in Kurdistan and are confident that the region will experience a further positive development,” said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO, Rezidor.
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Erbil will be located in the Western suburbs of Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan – only 2.5 kilometres from the Iraq Kurdistan parliament and 3 kilometres from Erbil International Airport which is the main gateway to the region. The upper upscale hotel will offer 260 guest rooms, an all day-dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a lobby bar, meeting rooms, and a ballroom, a gym and a spa.
Erbil is an attractive hub for international companies; it attracts a growing number of leading international investors and shows a higher GDP growth than other parts of Iraq. The regional government is actively driving the area development, sup- porting travel & tourism in Erbil and Kurdistan together with the partners. Besides an increasing number of business travellers, Erbil also attracts tourists. The city is famous for its archaeological citadel. It has been claimed that the site is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world.
Kurdistan is one of the most interesting emerging markets in the Middle East: this prospering oilrich region is not affected by instabilities in Iraq