AZERBAIJAN - Tourism
General Manager, Grand Hotel Europe
Bio
Tolga Akkash began his career as in Mövenpick hotels in Berlin and has since managed hotels in Berlin and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. He also works as a hotel management consultant with a Turkish hotel management consultancy.
Our property was Baku’s leading hotel when Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991, and even today when hotel industry is going up the Grand Hotel Europe remains one of Baku’s leading hotels, especially for business travellers. We’ve just finished basic refurbishment of the hotel, aimed at improving service standards and giving our guests a true five-star experience.
It can vary to 40% at a minimum, though averages around 60% or 70% year round. When major conferences or trade fairs are held, we usually reach full occupancy levels, as most other five-star hotels do in Baku.
The more competitors you have, the more improvements you must make to stay at the cutting edge. For me, more competition is better for business. This growth we are seeing is positive, and was one of the reasons we initiated a major refurbishment of the hotel to keep it at the cutting edge of the market.
We are primarily targeting the business market, as it is the mainstay of the five-star market in Baku at present. However, with Eurovision just around the corner, we are likely going to see increased leisure tourism coming in to Baku.
As all city hotels of Baku, we have the advantage of year-round business here. However, our extensive parking facilities in front of the hotel and main roads at all sides of the property make us more suitable for business travellers.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT