Hotelier to take legal action against Syria

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Dedeman Damascus Hotel is seen in this file photo provided by the company.

Syria has a malignant attitude toward the Dedeman Hotels International, as well as other Turkish and foreign businesses active in the country, according to a press release yesterday by the company, a local hotelier, whose hotel operating contracts were canceled by the Syrian government. 

Contracts that granted the Istanbul-based Dedeman the right to operate hotels in three Syrian cities were canceled by the Syrian government in the last four weeks. The first contract regarding Dedeman Hotel Aleppo was canceled Dec. 29, 2011, and contracts regarding Dedeman’s Damascus and Tadmur hotels were canceled Jan. 17, according to Sana, Syria’s official news agency. Dedeman has not yet received any official notice from Syria about the cancellations, the company said. 

“It is saddening to reflect its domestic political developments in business life this way. We will take every step to protect our legal rights,” said Tamer Yörükoğlu, Dedeman Hotels & Resorts International CEO.
Dedeman could not meet forecasts envisaged in the auction process due to an economic crisis that started in 2009 and the instability caused by the political developments which came about from the beginning of last year, Dedeman said. 

The renovation of three hotels had be assumed by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism according to the contracts, but the obligation was fulfilled by the ministry, said the company, adding that renovation project for those three hotels was submitted to the tourism ministry, but no positive move was made.