Absheron Lodge Group is a younger lodge administration and growth firm based mostly in Azerbaijan.
With a portfolio that gives a singular mixture of properties, every lodge is a solo creation with a particular idea, spirit and viewers, in addition to a powerful emphasis on element and private touches.
Right here Breaking Journey Information speaks with Daniel Sasse, chief industrial officer of the corporate, about its portfolio and the creating Azerbaijani market.
Breaking Journey Information: May we start with an outline of the Absheron Lodge Group? You symbolize plenty of main properties in Baku and throughout Azerbaijan?
Daniel Sasse: With the institution of the corporate in 2013, the group goals to turn into a strategic hospitality trade participant with a medium-term aspiration of taking a number one place within the nationwide and regional markets via establishing a world-class portfolio of inns.
This portfolio stretches throughout varied lodge classes, from mid-scale to luxurious, and different hospitality entities each in and out of doors of Azerbaijan.
The group owns two luxurious inns within the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku – particularly the 4 Seasons and JW Marriott Absheron, that are managed by the respective worldwide administration corporations.
As well as, Absheron Lodge Group straight manages an extra eight inns.
These embody two five-star deluxe properties in Shahdag, a brand new world class ski resort vacation spot within the north of Azerbaijan, Pik Palace and Park Chalet, each of that are below the Autograph Assortment flag.
We’ve got two up to date and fashionable inns within the centre of Baku: Luxurious Boutique, Dinamo Lodge Baku and The Service provider Baku.
The previous is a member of Small Luxurious Motels of the World, and is a chic selection for all travellers desirous to expertise the attractive metropolis in type, whereas the latter is an outstanding 63-room boutique property within the coronary heart of the town.
Then there’s the most important convention lodge within the area, the 818-room Boulevard Lodge, Autograph Assortment, and a heritage lodge, the Intourist, Autograph Assortment, each of which face the Baltic Sea.
We even have a property within the beachside space of Bilgah, alongside the well-known sea-front promenade, in addition to a luxurious villa resort in Bodrum, Turkey, which is a member of Most popular Motels & Resorts.
Moreover, Absheron Lodge Group has two extra properties in Baku – Winter Boulevard & Yelken Tower – and one in Tbilisi, that are presently below growth or building, scheduled to open inside the subsequent 12-18 months below well-known worldwide manufacturers.
BTN: We visited Azerbaijan-capital Baku final yr and found a fast-developing metropolis with a lot to supply. Is that this an optimistic time for the hospitality sector there?
DS: The market is relatively younger – with the primary lodge from a global lodge group having opened in Baku solely in 1995.
When the town grew to become the host metropolis of the Eurovision Music Contest in 2012, extra worldwide lodge manufacturers joined the market – amongst them 4 Seasons and JW Marriott Absheron.
In June 2015, the European Video games, a sports activities competitions for European states, adopted, bringing further inns – together with our two Autograph Assortment properties.
One in all them continues to be the biggest lodge within the Caucasus, with its 818-rooms.
Previous to 2015, primarily businesspeople and members of the federal government have been friends at inns of the oil-rich nation on the Caspian Sea.
Again then, there was practically no tourism in any respect.
Then, in 2015, the federal government began to facilitate visits via an replace to the visa rules.
Now, vacationers from over 35 nations can acquire an e-visa inside three days to enter Azerbaijan, and the variety of nations is rising.
Since then, tourism has continued to develop constantly and quite a few inns, primarily smaller ones with two- to four-star properties, have been constructed.
Whereas most inns deal with the capital Baku, the agricultural and culturally engaging areas nonetheless have potential.
BTN: In frequent with a lot of the world, the market has been slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic. What are the prospects for the remainder of the yr?
DS: Absheron Lodge Group has at all times positioned an emphasis on well being and security for our friends and staff.
The present pandemic has required us to lift our robust requirements to an excellent increased degree, with new protocols aligned to the present circumstances.
We put in place a multi-pronged strategy designed to satisfy the well being and security challenges introduced by the pandemic.
Consisting of in-house and out of doors consultants, we’re redefining our cleansing and security requirements based mostly on native and worldwide standards.
A number of key parts of our ‘Dedication to Cleanliness’ embody high-volume sterilisation of busy areas with beneficial merchandise, in addition to the set up of hand sanitation factors all through inns.
There may be social distancing signage in public areas, whereas now we have elevated our rigorous protocols to totally clear all surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectants.
If now we have realized something throughout this pandemic, it’s that we’re all on this collectively.
By caring for staff and following these new protocols – we shall be collectively caring for our friends.
Everybody working in hospitality is dealing with an historic battle.
Trying on the drive and ambition of our lodge groups and particular person staff to beat it and get better sooner and stronger fills me with large hope for the longer term.
We have no idea when this pandemic shall be over, and our lives will return to some type of normalcy.
However we would like our friends and our associates to know that when the time involves journey as soon as once more, we shall be able to welcome them again to a secure and clear lodge surroundings.
BTN: Are lodge traders making long-term modifications to their properties within the wake of the coronavirus, or is there a hope a vaccine will mitigate the necessity for everlasting modifications, to accommodate social distancing for instance?
DS: What has unfolded around the globe previously months is unprecedented.
On this time of uncertainty when all industries have been impacted, the tourism and hospitality sector has been hit essentially the most given border closures, journey restrictions and the necessity to keep dwelling.
Azerbaijan isn’t any exception.
Getting ready for the longer term, we’re creating restoration plans to make sure a clean transition into the post-pandemic period.
Within the present state of affairs we stay involved with enterprise companions and potential clients digitally, enabling us to be first as soon as individuals begin touring once more.
After the quarantine regime is lifted, home tourism would be the major focus of our actions.
When extra restrictions are eased, and borders reopen, we are going to begin rolling out communications to our worldwide markets and restore key campaigns.
Within the close to future friends will give extra consideration to well being and hygiene measures in the event that they journey.
The SAHMAN venture is among the steps the Azerbaijani Tourism Board, along with different companions, has taken to adjust to this request.
The marketing campaign, supported by the UNWTO, goals to keep up the popularity of the nation as a tourism and enterprise occasions vacation spot and on the identical time elevate well being and security requirements with the involvement of all related private and non-private companions.
All Absheron Lodge Group are SAHMAN licensed and adjust to its hygienic suggestions and pointers. The AHG inns that are a part of a global lodge chain utilized the requirements of the respective model, too.
Absheron Lodge Group is trying constructive in the direction of the way forward for journey and has determined to proceed evolving three new lodge openings and two re-brandings all of them happening inside the subsequent 12-18 months.
BTN: Quite a few Absheron properties have been nominated for prestigious trophies on the World Journey Awards – what’s going to recognition by this prestigious physique provide to the model?
DS: We determined to take part with 4 inns within the World Journey Awards, famend as one of the prestigious and complete programmes within the hospitality trade.
Becoming a member of this programme will improve our model visibility to new audiences globally leading to producing further curiosity within the vacation spot and finally enterprise income.
The successful lodge will obtain general further publicity and staff of the respective lodge will really feel honored and inspired, particularly in these difficult instances an excellent appreciation.
Extra Info
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