The biggest and tallest hotel in Iran, designed by the world renowned Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid, will be constructed in less than four years in Tehran, ISNA reported.
The grand hotel which will be built on an area of 160,000 square meters with 58 stories, 81 suites, 400 rooms, and 18 restaurants will require $148 million for completion.
According to the major investor in the project, Ebrahim Pourfaraj, if the banks provide the necessary support, the construction “should not take longer than three years.”
Designing the structure is the world-renowned architect and first female winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, with famous designs on her record including Naples’ Central Train Station in Italy; BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany; Innsbruck’s monorail and Bergisel ski-jump in Austria. She also partly-designed the Milad Tower in Tehran.
The primary investor Pourfaraj, who also owns a travel agency in Tehran, says the initial phase is completed. “To date the project has received no incentives from the government. It is too large and can be properly considered a national project, to be completed by the private sector alone,” he added.
“banks offer limited incentives for hotels, no more than $37 million. Thus, efforts are underway to bring together several banks as part of a consortium to justify allocation of government funds,” Pourfaraj said.
“negotiations were held with several prominent global hotel brands including the French Accor, and we are waiting for their response,” he said, noting that many global brands have shown interest in having branches in Iran; however collaborations are still weak due to the unfair sanctions on the country against its peaceful nuclear program.
“We intend to lead the project under the supervision of an international hotel firm to ensure every step is on par with international standards and will meet their needs,” the tourism advisor stated, adding that the hotel in Tehran is part of a bigger project. Three more of the same hotel will be constructed in other cities, namely Isfahan, Shiraz, and Yazd by the end of the first phase. “If incentives are received, the next phases would proceed at a greater pace,” he noted.
