Construction has commenced for 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, said Peter Blackburn, president and CEO of the Cristal Group.

“We now have all government approvals to proceed and a contractor has been appointed for this $49million project,” he said.  “There is a tremendous influx of interest in Erbil from the major international hotel groups, but we were among the first global names to launch in the city.”

With two- and three-star hotels dominating the Erbil market and Kurdistan in general, demand for quality accommodation that meets international standards is high in the province which receives a large amount of international business traffic.

“The market is subject to fluctuation due to the security situation, but more than 20 airlines are registered to fly in to the international airport, which saw a 31 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2014, reaching 1.56 million,” said Blackburn.

While domestic and local demand is underpinning current business, he said there was scope to boost international leisure traffic in to Erbil as it cements its position as a gateway for Kurdistan and the region. – TradeArabia News Service