Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel in Baku
28 December 2011, 14:00
The Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel has been opened at the Bilgah settlement of Baku.
The opening ceremony was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mehriban Aliyeva and their family members.
Flowers were presented to Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.
President Ilham Aliyev cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the hotel.
It was indicated that the Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel is the first hotel of the Jumeirah Group, the owner of luxury hotels in 12 countries, in the CIS. The construction of this hotel, a unique piece of architecture of international level, is an indicator of the development of tourism in Azerbaijan and a favorable investment climate for both local and foreign companies in the country.
It was noted that the Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel has an original architectural style and offers a variety of high-quality services. This complex has a modern design and professionally blends international and national architectural styles.
It was mentioned that the 20-storey hotel is fitted with cutting-edge equipment. The hotel has parking space covering a total area of 4,670 square meters – enough to accommodate 350 cars. The premises have been landscaped and thousands of ornamental shrubs and flowers planted.
The President was informed that about 5,000 people were involved in the construction of the hotel, which took four years to complete. In the future, special attention will be paid to the employment of local personnel at the hotel.
The first floor of the hotel has a peculiar design. The decorative composition on the walls, created using 14,000 metal balls, imparts special beauty to the whole floor. There is a 58-meter chandelier here. The hotel’s large library has valuable books brought from France.
The check-in center and the lounge are decorated with good taste and are noted for a high level of comfort.
The hotel also has a 450-seat conference hall equipped with modern information and communication technologies for various events.
There is a perfect lighting system on the first floor. The 400-seat hall for various activities commands a spectacular view of the sea. The guests can try out a 44-seat Piano Lunch restaurant also located on this floor. The elements of design contain the latest innovations in the world of architecture and are intended to make tourists feel good.
The hotel’s restaurants offer delicious dishes of the national and foreign cuisine.
It was noted that on 14 floors of the hotel have a total of 212 rooms, including 175 Deluxe and 35 Suites. All the rooms are fully finished and command beautiful panoramic views of the Caspian Sea. The rooms have a wireless Internet connection, air-conditioning, personal safes and direct telephone lines. For VIP guests, there is also a 175-square meter room and the ambassador suite of 125 square meters.
In the basement of the hotel, there are necessary conditions for conducting various business activities.
The four conference rooms are fully equipped with modern lighting and sound systems. Also available is a large monitor for viewing video material.
The hotel has a round-the-clock restaurants for 150 people. The Talas SPA and fitness center covering an area of 2,600 square meters attracts attention with its modern appearance.
There is a “Water Wall” and massage rooms, Turkish baths, saunas, steam rooms, seven treatment rooms and two VIP SPA which will provide free-of-charge services. There are vitamin bars in all the halls. The indoor swimming pool in the fitness center is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide.
The 350-meter coastal strip offers a variety of entertainments to tourists. There are necessary conditions for the recreation of 600 people on the beach in the warmer months of the year.
High-quality services will be provided by the seaside restaurant Promenade Lounge for 250 people and the Pier Grill restaurant, located on stilts, for 400 people. Overall, the hotel has nine restaurants, a bar and a nightclub.
The hotel also has a water park with a total area of 5,150 square meters, which can serve 475 people at a time. Also available are a tennis court, playgrounds for mini-football, volleyball and basketball. There are 14 two-storey cottages with a kitchen, a lounge, three bedrooms and a balcony on the hotel premises.
After reviewing the hotel, President Ilham Aliyev met with the staff.
Saluting the team, President Ilham Aliyev said:
- Good morning. It is a very significant day in the history of our city. A beautiful and modern hotel is opening in Baku. The launch of the Jumeirah Bilgah Hotel is a significant event. The hotel is beautiful. I have just toured it. The rooms are very nice, the design is very nice. All the rooms have a great sea view. This, of course, enhances the value of the hotel. Public areas are designed with great taste. I am told there will be nine restaurants, a gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools here. There are several nice places for holding meetings, international events and functions. I have told the head of Jumeirah Group that this hotel combines all the features of fine hotels. It is a unique and wonderful hotel designed with great taste.
Of course, the success of a hotel depends on its location. And the location of this hotel is unique. It stands on the beach, a short distance from the city. The air is very clean here. At the same time, it is close to the Heydar Aliyev International Airport – only 10-15 minutes of drive. The excellent road from Baku further improves comfort. There is an eight-lane road, and this work continues. I hope that in one year from now we will open a new road from here to Sumgayit. Now the construction of the Bilgah-Sumgayit road is well under way. In short, what I saw today is very gratifying. I am very pleased that a world-class hotel has opened in our country, in Baku, in Bilgah. The chain of Jumeirah hotels is known throughout the world. It operates hotels in various countries. I am familiar with some of them. Of course, I cannot talk about all these hotels, but I hope that this will be one of the finest Jumeirah hotels.
This year alone, three five-star hotels have been opened in Azerbaijan. Some time ago it was Kempinski, then Hilton, and now Jumeirah. The opening of three five-star hotels over the course of one year is a major event.
This shows that investors have very high hopes and confidence in the future of Azerbaijan and its tourism potential. Local and foreign investment in Azerbaijan is properly protected.
Over the past 15 years we have attracted over $100 billion in investment to our country. Last year alone it was $16 billion.
This year’s calculations are still ongoing, but I am sure that even more has been invested in our economy. Some of these funds are channeled into the tourism infrastructure.
Next year three more five-star hotels will start operating in Baku – Marriott, Four Seasons and Bermond. Thus, in the course of just two years, six world-class five-star hotels will open in one city, in Baku. I believe this is a unique event. It is unique not only for this region, but also for all post-Soviet republics and, in a broader sense, for the entire continent: six world-famous brands open their hotels in one city in a matter of two years. This shows the overall development of our country. This shows that local and foreign companies expand their opportunities to invest in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is a great place to live and relax. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We are making Baku beautiful. New infrastructure projects are implemented. The Old Baku is under control and is protected by the state. The restoration work in the Old City is carried out with great taste. Our beautiful boulevard has been reconstructed. A new boulevard is now under construction. After a few months we will celebrate the opening of the new boulevard. The new boulevard will extend to the Flag Square, will connect to it. To current 4-kilometer boulevard should be prolonged by the coastal promenade at least 8 kilometers long.
I repeat: Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We make Baku more beautiful, protect and love it. I am personally very pleased that such beautiful hotels are established in Baku. I should add that five-star hotels are built not only in Baku but also in other regions. One in Guba and three at the Shahdag winter-summer tourism center. The opening of these hotels will further enhance Azerbaijan’s tourism potential.
This year was declared the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan. I am very pleased that the world’s renowned hotel chains are opening beautiful hotels and creating excellent architectural monuments in Azerbaijan in the Year of Tourism.
I want to cordially congratulate you and all the residents and guests of Baku on this wonderful event. I am confident that this hotel will work very well and provide excellent service. Our city has acquired another wonderful place for the recreation and entertainment of its residents and guests.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the upcoming Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis, wish you a Happy New Year and every success in your work. Thank you.
Х Х Х
Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev, the Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group, Gerald Lawless, said:
- Dear Mr. President!
Dear First Lady!
Thank you very much for your kind words. This is our first hotel in the CIS. I want to point out that this is the way it should be. We are very pleased to open this hotel in Azerbaijan.
Jumeirah is a young company. We were founded 14 years ago. I want to indicate that this is not just a tourist hotel. It is also a great place for recreation. I think we will earn the sympathy of many in the future.
I would also like to congratulate our colleagues. From now on, they will work here, at Jumeirah. Our colleagues who will work here have come not only from Dubai, but also from other parts of the world. I think that the opening of this hotel will contribute to the development of tourism.
You have mentioned that new hotels are opening in the country. This is good. We are also expanding our hotel chain. We intend to open hotels in Shanghai and elsewhere. I am very pleased to say that we have such a wonderful hotel in Baku.
Mr. President, you have said that this year is the Year of Tourism. Paying great attention to tourism, the Government of Azerbaijan continually develops the tourism infrastructure. I appreciate the fact that we are also becoming part of this development. We want tourism to develop even more in the future. The sphere of tourism expands every year worldwide, the number of tourists is increasing. This contributes to a further growth of the GDP of any country.
You attended the World Economic Forum in Davos and saw that the number of tourists is increasing every year. I want to point out that Azerbaijan’s tourism industry is also experiencing a renaissance. I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year and every success. We have a small gift. As a symbol of our relations, I would like to present you with a gift that symbolizes our first hotel built in the United Arab Emirates.
Gerald Lawless presented the gift to the President.
