It will not be the first hotel in that city with the name ‘Peninsula’, but it will certainly be one of the most luxurious.
The project is in the Galata area and involves the conversion of three historic buildings and creation of a fourth close to the famed bridge.
Peter Borer, chief operating officer of The Peninsula Hotels owning company The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, said: “Istanbul is the epitome of east meets west, and is a geographic anchor. Location is always so key for us, so we couldn’t afford to miss this project and had to move quickly. It will have an extraordinary view of the Bosphorus.”
HSH will develop the hotel as a joint venture with a partnership of several local groups and it will have 180 guestrooms, ballroom, spa and restaurants.
Borer was speaking to ttgluxury in London as part of a ‘roadshow’ to meet key clients, as well as gaining an update on the group’s London project. In July 2013, the group entered into an agreement with Grosvenor for a 50:50 joint venture to redevelop the site of 1-5 Grosvenor Place in Belgravia into The Peninsula London.
Plans for the 200-room hotel are now with planning authorities, but it will be a demolish and rebuild project, with work hopefully commencing next year, Borer said.
“These things take time and we understand that – it took us seven years to complete our hotel in Paris for example; the location and the partners have to be right,” he added. “Our chairman gives us very strict instructions about where he wants to have a hotel – and for London, he said it had to be Knightsbridge, Belgravia or Mayfair. We are very patient and nor can we compromise on the final product. You should set yourself the challenge too that each hotel must be better than the last one – while always ensuring others are as good as they can be.”
The latest hotel to receive the renovation treatment is Peninsula Chicago, which launched new-look rooms and suites (pictured above) in September.
A new range of VIP exclusive access experiences have also been launched on a complimentary basis, called Keys to the City. They include a private tour of the kitchen at the three-Michelin-star restaurant, Grace; guaranteed house seats and access to the VIP intermission lounge at Broadway in Chicago performances; discounted access to 360 Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory) for two visits in 48 hours for the Sun and Stars experience; and a Fast Pass express line at The Art Institute of Chicago with complimentary guidebook.
