There are many countries in the world I would love to visit if the political circumstances were different. One such country is Iran. Interestingly enough, it seems like at the very least Iran is starting to make moves to become a more attractive alternative to Western travelers.
According to UK’s The Telegraph, the five-star Gran Meliá Ghoo hotel will open next year in the city of Salman Shahr on the shores of the Caspian Sea. This property will become the first five-star hotel in Iran owned by a foreign group in more than 35 years.
According to The Telegraph article:
The Spanish-owned property will occupy a 130-metre high tower, and will have 319 “deluxe” rooms and a “Presidential Suite” of more than 500 square metres. Developers boast that it, “will provide all of the luxury services and facilities expected of a five-star hotel” with seven restaurants and bars, two swimming pools, and a spa.
In addition to the Melia, French-owned Accor opened a Novotel and an Ibis near Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport last October. Furthermore, UAE-owned Rotana has four hotels in the works in Iran, two in Tehran and two in Mashhad, while the Jumeirah Hotel group is also planning hotels in the country. Including the locally owned properties, up to 125 hotels are expected to open in Iran in 2016.
I doubt these openings will sway Americans to travel to Iran, but it will be interesting to see if there is an increase in the number of European tourists visiting the controversial Middle-Eastern country.
Have you traveled to Iran or would you like to travel to Iran if the political circumstances were different?
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1 comment
My mother visited Iran shortly before the revolution, and had wonderful things to say. Great people, shopping, history, food, culture. Just an amazing place overall. That said, I have serious trepidations about visiting any theocracy. I also get apprehensive when the government organizes rallies to shout “death to America”, which presumably includes yours truly as a citizen. Also, the obvious repression discourages me as a member of humanity. Put this all together, and I’ll sadly be avoiding Iran for some time to come. A pity.