In August 2024, Hilton Hotels and Resorts opened the Hilton Garden Inn Termez Ayritom, the latest property in the company’s ambitious expansion programme across Uzbekistan. Following recent hotel openings in Tashkent and Samarkand, Hilton is exploring new frontiers with its first asset in the south of the country.
The Hilton Garden Inn is in the very centre of Termez, a 20-minute taxi ride from Termez International Airport. With 98 guest rooms designed with neutral decor to appeal to international visitors, the hotel will significantly increase Termez’s accommodation capacity for the upper end of the market. Standard rooms are 26 sqm, increasing to 54 sqm for those in the luxury category, and accessible rooms are also available.
Hotel guests and non-residents can dine at the hotel’s multi-cuisine restaurant, Anor, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The name “Anor” means “pomegranate”, which is a traditional Uzbek symbol of fertility and friendship. The hotel has a well-equipped fitness centre and three meeting rooms, for events of various sizes. On-site parking is free of charge.
Termez, a city of around 180,000 people, is in Uzbekistan’s southern region of Surkhandarya. Famed for its archaeological sites – in particular the Buddhist monasteries of Fayaz Tepe and Kara Tepe and the lost city of Alexandria-on-the-Oxus – Termez has a strong Silk Road history, in particular from the pre-Islamic period. In addition to its cultural attractions, the city is also a convenient base for hiking, caving, and wildlife watching in the impressive Babatag and Gissar Mountains.
HIlton is gambling on business visitors for the success of the new Hilton Garden Inn, however. Termez is a frontier town, linked by road and rail with Mazar-i Sharif in Afghanistan. Although border crossings are currently limited, it is expected that travel restrictions between the two countries will soon be lifted. In August 2024, Uzbekistan signed 25 MOUs totalling $2.5 billion with its southern neighbour, signalling improved diplomatic relations and a forthcoming recovery in trade. The Hilton Garden Inn is ideally situated as a business hotel, and is the only international brand hotel in the city.
