Belgium-based hotel group Carlson Rezidor has announced a return to Libya by confirming a new Radisson Blu Hotel in Misrata.

The 150-room property is scheduled to open in early 2016 and will be the first internationally branded hotel in the city.

The project will comprise a conversion of an existing hotel, which is currently undergoing full renovation.

The hotel will be located in the downtown area within a developing business district, 6 kilometres from Misrata International airport.

Besides 126 guest rooms and 24 studios, the hotel will offer dining units, an outside pool, four meeting rooms and a ballroom, as well as a gym and spa, and business-class lounge.

Elie Younes, executive vice-president and chief development officer at Rezidor, tells MEED that security concerns in Libya have made it difficult to re-enter the market, but that he believes Misrata offers a pocket of stability within a promising market for the future.

Younes went on to tell MEED that Rezidor’s main focus going forward will be Saudi Arabia and particularly the Eastern Province.