The Flame Game

How has the hotel performed since its inauguration in June 2013?

The hotel was inaugurated by the President himself, ensuring significant public interest from the outset. We opened with a restaurant, a bar, and around 150 rooms, and in the first few days we staged numerous events. We have recently been opening other parts of the hotel, such as a second restaurant and a jazz bar. At the very top, namely floors 30, 31, and 32, there will be a restaurant and lounge, making for a highly elegant venue with beautiful views and a modern conceptual design. We have just a few more floors to complete now, but the early days have been highly promising, and we have developed a solid reputation for services, food, and high-quality facilities.

How do you see the development of MICE tourism in Azerbaijan?

The group has six five-star hotels in the city. We have some great venues, like the Baku Crystal Hall, which hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, and the Heydar Aliyev Center, which is an amazing establishment. There are a number of other venues here, like the Baku Expo Center, which are all large enough to host major events. I think the time is right now, while Baku is on the map through these various international events, to really start promoting it as a MICE destination. For one, hoteliers have combined resources with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to develop a Baku Convention Bureau, which opened in September of 2013.

What makes the Fairmont stand out from the competition?

Firstly, it is a highly iconic property. You can see the Flame Towers from everywhere in the city. We have one of the largest rooms in the city, at 1,000 sqm, and can host 1,000 people at cocktail receptions and 650 for dinner. In that respect, it is a very large venue and all our other rooms range from 10-20 people up to 300. This provides considerable flexibility in terms of staging conferences or ancillary events. The sheer flexibility, our service standard, the iconic building itself, and the proximity to ministries and government institutions are all unique advantages for the hotel.

How will the hotel serve as an entertainment center for locals?

We will have seven restaurants and bars on site, so I expect people to come and sample the variety. We have the first French restaurant in a hotel in this city. We also have the first jazz bar in a hotel. There will be an upmarket steakhouse serving good, fresh meats from various parts of the world, as well as fresh fish from all over the world, which is unique too. People can basically come to the hotel and try different restaurant every night. Also, we will host guests visiting the city for shopping as once the complex is finished, there will be a shopping center here with 70 stores, a further 10 restaurants and bars in the shopping complex, the country’s first IMAX theater, an office tower, and a residential tower. People will basically visit for a multitude of reasons. I believe that for locals, we represent variety and elegance. You will be able to visit for an afternoon, evening, or a whole day and indulge in a multitude of activities within the same complex.

When will the complex be completed?

By May 2014, the hotel should be completed in it entirety, with the exception of the upper level restaurant, which we have yet to finalize. We are hoping to open the shopping center by October. The office tower should open for business in the first quarter of 2015, and the residential tower by the end of 2015.