Azerbaijan uses Vilnius hospitality summit to deepen hotel-sector ties across Europe

Azerbaijan Tourism Board and the Azerbaijan Hotel Association used the HOTREC and Hotelstars Union assemblies to showcase hotel-classification progress and explore future cooperation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Azerbaijan Tourism Board and the Azerbaijan Hotel Association took part in the 93rd HOTREC General Assembly and the 12th Hotelstars Union General Assembly in Vilnius.
• Rashad Aliyev used the event to present Azerbaijan’s progress in hotel classification and broader efforts to improve service quality.
• Meetings with HOTREC President Alexandros Vassilikos and Hotelstars Union President Markus Luthe explored future cooperation and the application of international best practices.
• The Vilnius discussions focused on hotel classification criteria, digitalisation, sustainability and evolving quality standards across the hospitality sector.

Azerbaijan used a high-profile hospitality gathering in Vilnius this week to reinforce its European partnerships and underline the progress it says it is making in hotel standards and service quality. According to an update from the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, representatives from the country joined senior industry figures at the 93rd General Assembly of HOTREC and the 12th General Assembly of Hotelstars Union from 12 to 14 October.

Rashad Aliyev, deputy CEO of the tourism board, attended alongside Asmar Shabanova, executive director of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association, as European hotel and hospitality bodies met in the Lithuanian capital to review the issues reshaping the sector. The sessions looked at hotel star classification criteria, regulatory and institutional developments, digitalisation, sustainability and the service standards that travellers increasingly expect across the region.

The two assemblies carry particular weight for destinations that want to align more closely with recognised European hospitality benchmarks. HOTREC represents hotels, restaurants and cafés through national associations across Europe, while Hotelstars Union promotes a more harmonised hotel classification framework intended to make accommodation standards easier for travellers to understand and compare.

During the meetings, Aliyev presented Azerbaijan’s recent work on hotel classification and broader initiatives aimed at improving the country’s hospitality offer. The presentation, as described by the tourism board, focused on efforts to strengthen standards and lift service quality as Azerbaijan works to position itself as a more competitive destination for international visitors.

The programme also included talks with HOTREC President Alexandros Vassilikos and Hotelstars Union President Markus Luthe. Those discussions centred on how international best practices could be applied in Azerbaijan and where future cooperation could support the development of the local hospitality sector.

For Azerbaijan, the Vilnius meetings offered more than a place at the table. They provided a practical opportunity to benchmark its progress against wider European trends and to strengthen the institutional ties that can help shape hotel classification, quality assurance and traveller confidence in the years ahead.