ROUND TABLE

Comfortable Position

As Istanbul grows as a tourist destination and a business hub, Turkey’s burgeoning hospitality sector is racing to keep up with demand. Top international chains, as well as local hotels, are pushing that growth.

LEONARDO BAIOCCHI

THE DESTINATION

Tourism is booming here. The economy is also growing rapidly, and Istanbul is firmly on the map. The government is heavily promoting the destination. There is even an advertisement for Turkey as a tourist destination in Times Square, and this really displays the commitment the government is putting into this venture.

THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Our focus is on training and hiring the right people. We operate beautiful hotels, such as the hotel I manage here on the shores of the Bosphorus, with excellent facilities such as pools and spas. The emphasis we put on staff is really what distinguishes us.

MICE & MORE

The potential for Istanbul is great in every segment, not just for MICE tourism. This is a very dynamic hotel. There are people speaking many different languages here in the lobby. We have been able to capture all segments of the market, including the corporate segment, which is booming.

AHU AYSAL KERİMOĞLU

INCREDIBLE POPULARITY

Istanbul is an incredibly popular destination now. It’s very trendy to come here. I have a house in New York where I stay twice a year for up to two months. Everybody there is crazy about Istanbul as well.

PERSONAL TOUCH

The fact that I, as the owner, was so involved in the process of the hotel’s development every step of the way has delivered a unique quality to the hotel. I get personally involved with the guests, and treat them as if they were guests in my own home.

CELEBRITY FACTOR

We have had a huge range of celebrities stay with us, and I have found them to be very charming and no one was capricious or difficult. Kevin Costner felt terrible that he didn’t have a gift for me, and ended up giving me his glasses! Paris Hilton also stayed with us, and was just one of many celebrities who have felt at home here.

UĞUR OFLUOĞLU

SECRET TO SUCCESS

The magic of our success comes from our high occupancy rate, which is approximately 80% on average. This is a result of our focus on customer satisfaction. After we rent the rooms, we focus on service. We know that the biggest advertisement is a customer who leaves the hotel happy.

UNSINKABLE

The Titanic brand first started with the iconic Titanic Deluxe Beach & Resort in Antalya. It was designed to look like a cruise ship, so both the design and the name is recognizable. Right after we established this hotel, the brand began to establish a reputation both domestically and locally for its high quality of service.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

In concert with the ITB tourism fair in Berlin, we are going to open our new hotel, Titanic Berlin, with 226 rooms. This will be our first hotel in the international arena. Our international investments will continue. We are planning to reach 10 hotels in the near future.

AYŞEGÜL DURSUN

ROOM TO IMPROVE

The tourism business seems like it’s growing very fast, but we need to have a higher capacity. We should and we can do more. If we provide good service for guests, they’ll come back year after year.

DESTINATION ANTALYA

There are really good hotels in Antalya the like of which you cannot find anywhere else in Europe. We have the sea, historical places, and nature, yet other places do too. The difference can only be the service. Turkish people are hospitable— it’s part of our culture.

INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE

When people see a hotel, house, or shopping mall project, we want to have a style that people recognize as Utopia’s. This has been the case for the construction we’ve carried out over the last decade, including the hotel.