The Old Town of Baku is crammed with historical buildings and has been classified a UNESCO heritage site
Room for more
With more than 50 hotels in Baku, the city offers a great choice ranging from top-rated Hyatt and Rezidor hotels through to boutique properties and independent hotels — the latter is currently the only option outside of the capital.
Encouraged by the booming oil and gas industries — and one of the fastest-growing economies worldwide — the big hospitality players are lining up to enter the market with at least six five-star hotels opening soon, a move that is expected to temper rates which have been overpriced due to inflated demand.
According to consultants Richard Chancellor, while there are currently around 450 hotels in Azerbaijan, the biggest deficit is in economy brands, which appeal to both budget tourists and corporates aiming to cut costs.
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Among the new brands opening up in the next 12 months, the names are all top-notch rather than cost conscious — with Jumeirah, Four Seasons, Fairmont, JW Marriott and Hilton — all coming to town, while Starwood has just taken over the former Holiday Inn at Baku Airport and rebranded it as a Sheraton.
Mete Atakuman, general manager of the Jumeirah Bilgah Hotel Baku, which opens later this year, says enquiries from the Middle East are already flooding in for the resort-style hotel. “Baku is in such a unique location and offers a variety of different things to do that it will appeal to all segments,” he says.
“The Expo Center is new and state-of-the-art, and Baku will be a destination for future exhibitions and events as well as a preferred destination for all types of other travellers.”
Jumeirah Bilgah Hotel (formerly slated to be Jumeirah's flagship Venu hotel before the plug was pulled on the brand) is located on the Caspian in the north of the Absheron Peninsula, 25 minutes from Baku, and is one of several new luxury resorts.
At Four Seasons, the aim is also to tap in to the upper-echelons of both Baku's residents and visitors, offering grand classical architecture and the finest settings for dining, spa and special events, explains general manager, Tarek Mourad:
“Thanks to the city’s lively nightlife and the Caspian Sea’s cool winds and recreation options, Baku is an upcoming destination for leisure travellers, as well as corporate travellers from the oil and banking industry."
Mourad adds that the hotel is also working on alternative itinerary options for incentive travellers that are both exciting and suited to the expectations of international travellers.
For Fairmont, major conferences and events will be a prime target, says regional VP of hotel sales, Kent Cooper: “Azerbaijan is aggressively developing infrastructure and seeking out major conferences and events, such as Eurovision — one of the most well known,” explains Cooper.
He adds: “As a diverse and upcoming destination, Baku will draw across the board from beach tourists to soft adventure travellers, mature travellers, families, short break explorers and more.”
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