Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has signed an agreement with Tanriverdi Holding Company to manage the Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul, opening in 2013. The hotel will be the group’s first in Turkey.
The hotel will be a five-minute walk from the Dolmabahce Palace, the former center of the Ottoman Empire and home to six sultans, which is now a national heritage museum. Also within easy reach is the Nisantasi neighborhood known for its restaurants, cafes and bars and the prestigious Macka luxury shopping area. Guests will be able to reach Sultanahmet, the historic center of the city that lies across the Golden Horn, within 15 minutes by public transportation.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts will open a hotel in Istanbul in 2012. The hotel will be a key feature of the new Zorlu Center, one of the largest developments the city has seen for many years.
The hotel is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2012, under the name of Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center. The Zorlu Center is Turkey’s first and only mixed-use project with five functions which will bring together a performing arts centre, offices, residential property, retail and the hotel -all with a Bosphorus view.
Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center will be developed by Zorlu Property with an investment of over 175 million dollars, excluding the land value. Its design will reflect the cultural and characteristic features of Istanbul, with 130 guestrooms and 50 suites. The size of the rooms will be above average, with standard rooms at 65 square metres, and suites with a maximum space of 370 square metres. The hotel will have a ballroom with a 1,200 person capacity, two restaurants and bars, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a heliport. It will also be home to a signature Raffles Spa, which is set to be one of the largest spas in Istanbul at approximately 3,000 square-metres.
Hotel guests will have direct access to the Performance Arts Centre, which will offer world-class dramas and musicals simultaneously with their openings in London and Broadway.