EasyGroup, which owns low-cost airline easyJet plans to branch out on the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus with its easyHotels franchise, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.
EasyHotels is looking for business partners on the island, which is visited by more than 2.3 million tourists a year. The tourism sector represents about 15 percent of Cyprus’s gross domestic product.
“This is an opportunity to expand the brand,” said Marios Missirlis, a spokesman for the chain in Cyprus.
“We are now expanding rapidly. There are two hotels, one in London and one in Switzerland. Another two will open in London by the end of this year and we have signed contracts with a Dubai-based firm to open 38 easyHotels over the next five years in North Africa, the Middle East, India and Pakistan.”
The construction cost of the 38 hotels will be in the region of $400 million (209 million pounds), he said, referring to global hotel expansion plans announced in April.
The first easyHotel opened in August 2005 in Kensington, London, with prices starting from 30 sterling a night.
Missirlis said four and five star hotels would not be the type of establishment the easyHotel brand would be interested in.
“The hotel brand is a low budget,” Missirlis said, adding however, that part of the criteria included safe and clean locations. Other than that, the brand would not be focussing on particular geographical areas. “All areas are being considered,” he said, adding that since placing an advert in the local press on Sunday, 17 queries had been made by hotel establishments.
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