Melia Hotels is entering the Iranian market with the five-star Gran Melia Ghoo Hotel, to be located in a large mixed-use residential, commercial and hotel complex in the popular Caspian Sea holiday destination of Salman Shahr.

The company said the Gran Melia Ghoo will be the first five-star internationally branded hotel in the country.

The hotel is part of the Ghoo, Middle East Diamond development being built by Iranian businessman and investor Ahad Azim Zadeh; in addition to the hotel, the 180,000sq m (1.9m sq ft) resort will also feature two residential towers, a sports centre and a retail mall.

The hotel will occupy a 130m (427ft) tall tower and will include 319 bedrooms, as well as seven restaurants and bars, 1,300sq m (13,993sq ft) of meeting and banquet facilities, two swimming pools and a spa. Further spa details are not yet available.

“We have always been pioneers in the development of new markets in the travel and tourism industry, so it is a fantastic challenge for us to be involved in a project which is so important for the future of the industry in this country, in a historic moment for the international relations within the area,” said Gabriel Escarrer, vice chair and CEO of Melia Hotels International.

“We firmly believe in Iran’s tourism potential and I am also very proud to have earned the trust of our partners in the management of this hotel, a further demonstration that we are a significant international player for the most prestigious hotel projects anywhere in the world.”

The lifting of sanctions on Iran earlier this year has opened a new phase for foreign investment, and the Iranian government is already implementing strategies to accelerate the development of key sectors, including tourism.

Iran is hoping to attract more than 20 million tourists by 2025, compared to the current 5 million. The government has also announced plans to acquire more than 100 Airbus jets to boost its Iran Air fleet and expand international routes.

AccorHotels has recently opened two hotels – a Novotel and an ibis – at the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport.