GLOBAL UPDATE : DEVELOPMENT increasing interest from investors and owner-operators across Turkey for both franchised and managed agreements .”
Hilton says that Turkey looks particularly attractive for its Hampton by Hilton brand . Indeed , of the 13 hotels under development , seven are Hampton by Hiltons and two are Hilton Garden Inns .
“ With Turkey ’ s reputation for entrepreneurship we believe there is a significant opportunity to open Hampton by Hiltons on both a managed and franchised basis ,” Vincent says . Like Hilton , Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide , Stamford , Connecticut , is also looking to expand into Turkey ’ s hinterlands . While it recently debuted its Le Méridien brand in Istanbul with the Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler , it is on schedule to open a 171-room Sheraton and 133-room Aloft in Bursa , as well as a 237-room Sheraton in Adana .
“ While we expect to see continued demand for management contracts in Turkey , we also expect to see more franchise opportunities , particularly as we roll out the Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton brands in Turkey ’ s regional cities ,” says Bart Carnahan , Starwood ’ s senior vice president of acquisition and development , Europe , Middle East and Africa . “ We consider that there are huge opportunities for growth of our select-service brands in Turkey ’ s regional cities and Anatolian cities , such as Izmir , Antep , Kayseri , Samsun , Konya and Mersin .”
Like other hotel companies , Starwood says it has seen an uptick in performance over the past year at its hotels currently in operation , which are primarily Sheratonbranded and concentrated in Istanbul and the capital city of Ankara . “ Our business is mainly driven by transient corporate clients , the majority coming from Europe ,” Carnahan says . “ 2011 was a very strong year for our hotels in Turkey , with RevPAR growth of nearly 20 % year-on-year .”
Marriott International , Bethesda ,
Guestroom at the Sheraton Istanbul Ataköy
Maryland , already boasts Renaissance Hotels in Antalya and Erzurum . Its brands active in Turkey also include Marriott Hotels & Resorts , The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co ., Edition , JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Courtyard by Marriott . While Marriott has made a goal of expanding its portfolio throughout the country , currently its pipeline includes only one hotel for Istanbul , the Renaissance Istanbul Bosphorus .
“ The weakness of our portfolio in Turkey now is that we are not available in all the big cities in Turkey , but that will change in the future ,” says René Mooren , Marriott ’ s area director of sales & marketing in Eastern Europe .
In addition to the big global players , other hotel companies have made recent additions to their pipeline in Turkey . Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Hong Kong , is set to debut in Turkey with the 102-room Mandarin Oriental , Bodrum , slated to open in 2014 with Astas Real Estate Investments and Tourism A . S . developing the project . In December , Morgans Hotel Group , New York City , entered into a management agreement for a 128-room Mondrian hotel , the first in Turkey , to open in 2014 . Bander bin Fahd al-Fehaid , Saudi royal and chairman of the Arab Tourism Organization , said in March that he plans to invest US $ 300 million expanding My Tuana Hotels in Turkey to 20 properties . Meanwhile , Dedeman Hotels & Resorts , Istanbul , has launched Dedeman Park , a new brand for short-stay business travelers , and has signed an agreement with Apeas Engineering and Consultation to open 10 hotels under the brand in five years — not just in Turkey , but also Russia and Kazakhstan .
“ This is a great sign of local market dynamism because when you have a local player that is emerging on the landscape of hotel operators , it means the field is quite positive for development ,” says Vanguelis Panayotis , the London-based CEO of MKG Group .
www . hotelsmag . com May 2012 HOTELS 7