DESIGN : JW MARRIOTT ANKARA
JW Marriott Hotel Ankara
CONSTRUCTION START : 2008
OPENING DATE : July 4 , 2011
GUESTROOMS : 413 guestrooms averaging 452 sq ft ( 42 sq m ) in size — compared with 280 sq ft ( 26 sq m ) in other , similar hotels in the city GENERAL MANAGER : Khaled Al Jamal OWNER : Özdoğan Group , Ankara INVESTMENT : Approximately US $ 200 million ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : RMJM , New York City INTERIOR DESIGN : Frank Solano , London LIGHTING DESIGN : DPA Lighting Design , London DESIGN AESTHETIC : Power and prestige balanced by approachable luxury
Fires & Flavors serves traditional Turkish cuisine in addition to international fare .
JW
Marriott has entered Turkey with a vengeance following last summer ’ s debut of the 24-story , 413-room JW Marriott Hotel Ankara . Owned by the Ankara-based Özdoğan Group , the hotel is located in the heart of the Turkish capital ’ s political and business center and was designed with the vision that it could become one of the city ’ s landmarks .
The overall design aesthetic was crafted to symbolize “ power and prestige ,” explains Mehmet Gümüs , project coordinator and architect for Özdoğan , which collaborated with New York Citybased RMJM on the hotel ’ s architectural design and Londonbased Frank Solano on interior design , in addition to Londonbased DPA Lighting Design .
The US $ 200 million hotel also is the first new-build JW Marriott in Europe , and as such has served as an important example of what the brand can deliver , notes General Manager Khaled Al Jamal .
“ During construction and after the hotel opened , it has been visited by many potential investors worldwide ,” he notes .
Al Jamal adds that the timing of the hotel ’ s introduction is advantageous given Ankara ’ s rising prominence . “ While the global economy has been slowing down in recent years , the Turkish economy has shown steady growth ,” he says . “ We also believe Ankara has not received its fair share of events in comparison with other capitals in Europe . With the Marriott brand name , we believe we can bring a very large number of international businesses to Ankara .”
Grand scale Given Ankara ’ s location in central Anatolia , the hotel aims to reflect the region ’ s broad range of styles and influences , Gümüs explains . “ JW Marriott Ankara does not resemble much about Ankara because Anatolia is a peninsula that has ties with several civilizations ,” he says . “ Therefore the design of the hotel was planned to
JW MARRIOTT ENTERS TURKEY WITH A STRIKING NEW-BUILD HOTEL IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY ’ S CAPITAL .
By Ann Bagel Storck , managing editor www . hotelsmag . com April 2012 HOTELS 37