Accor and KRD Holding Announce First Mövenpick Resort for Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

Project Overview

Erbil (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s Kurdistan Region is set to receive its first Mövenpick resort under a partnership between global hospitality operator Accor and Erbil‑based KRD Holding.

The agreement calls for a 150‑room Mövenpick resort overlooking Gomaspan Lake, with a planned opening in 2030.

It will be the brand’s inaugural resort in the Kurdistan Region and its second in Iraq, following the Mövenpick Hotel Al Zaytoon in Baghdad.

The site lies less than 30 minutes from Erbil’s city centre.

Facilities and Capacity

The resort will offer 150 rooms and suites, accompanied by restaurants, cafés, a spa, a family leisure club and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

It will also provide more than 1,300 square metres of meeting and event space, intended for weddings, business meetings, conferences and leisure travel.

Partners’ Comments

Raki Phillips, Accor’s Regional President for the Premium, Midscale and Economy divisions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said: “Erbil’s growing connectivity and domestic tourist industry make the Kurdistan Region an appealing location for development.”

He added that the deal will introduce a new lakeside hotel product and strengthen Accor’s presence in Iraq.

Daban Hamid, Deputy CEO of KRD Holding, stated: “the deal highlighted the company’s efforts to recruit worldwide hotel brands and encourage investment in the Kurdistan Region’s tourist infrastructure.”

KRD Holding is a diversified investment firm based in Erbil, active in real estate, tourism, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, consultancy and entertainment, with holdings that include the Visit Kurdistan marketing campaign, the Erbil City Bus project and companies specialising in architecture, property management, hospitality and infrastructure development.

Accor’s Iraqi Portfolio

Accor currently operates one hotel in Iraq with roughly 260 rooms and has five additional hotels under construction, bringing the total pipeline to over 1,300 rooms.

The Gomaspan project will extend the group’s Iraqi footprint beyond Baghdad and the main hotel districts of Erbil’s city centre.