TURKEY: Steigenberger Airport Hotel Istanbul Opened

The Steigenberger Hotel Group has opened its second hotel in Turkey. The Steigenberger Airport Hotel Istanbul is conveniently located only four kilometres away from the International Ataturk Airport, which serves more than 60 million passengers and therefore ranks eleventh among the world’s biggest airports. The hotel offers access to local attractions including shopping malls, restaurants and a public park. Within 25 minutes, guests can easily reach the city centre with its rich heritage and many places of interest such as Topkapi Palace, Taksim Square or the Hagia Sophia. Hotel guests enjoy a complimentary shuttle service to Ataturk Airport and to other destinations within a five kilometre radius around the hotel.

“We are proud to open our second hotel in Turkey and to expand our international portfolio further. Our guests will enjoy Turkish hospitality meeting German standards in one of the most pulsating cities of the world,” said Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of the Steigenberger Hotel Group.

All 209 guest rooms are designed to deliver a restful stay and a comfortable work environment and feature both innovative design elements as well as flexible workspaces. All guests have free Wi-Fi access, and rooms are equipped with LCD flat screens. An extensive international selection of TV channels is offered. The hotel also houses a modern health and beauty spa centre along with a spacious gym with the latest exercise equipment, a Turkish bath, a steam room, a sauna, a jacuzzi and an indoor swimming pool. For conferences or meetings, the hotel offers an 860 square metre pillar-free Grand Ballroom and three additional meeting rooms.

Delectable experiences await those who dine at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel Istanbul. Guests can explore both local specialities and international flavours. Olives Restaurant is located at the lobby level in a warm and casual atmosphere. It is open all day, serving a rich buffet breakfast and à la carte lunch and dinner. Guests at Prime Restaurant & Bar can discover the flavours of modern Turkish cuisine as well as an extensive selection of domestic and imported fine beverages in a modern, refined setting. The Piano Bar is a venue in which to relax and enjoy piano accompaniment to an afternoon tea or evening cocktail.

The Steigenberger Airport Hotel Istanbul is operated under a franchise contract by Korcan Turizm Petrol Ürünleri Ticaret Sanayi A.S in Ankara, Turkey. Hotel General Manager Ali Türk comments: ‘’I am very excited about our cooperation with Steigenberger. Combining our knowledge of the hospitality industry in Turkey and Steigenberger’s quality and expertise in the marketplace, I am confident that Steigenberger Airport Hotel Istanbul is poised to develop at an exceptional pace. I believe that the long lasting reputation of our company with its association with Steigenberger will enable this unique business hotel to achieve its full potential and pave the way for a successful and mutually beneficial collaboration for many years to come.”

IRAN: Steigenberger Hotel Group To Build 10 hotels In Iran

German hospitality company, Steigenberger Hotel Group, is set to build 10 hotels in different parts of Iran over the next ten years. The CEO of Steigenberger Hotels, Puneet Chhatwal, signed an agreement with the deputy director of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO), Saeid Shirkavand, during a meeting at Tehran's Espinas Palace Hotel on Sunday.

The German group visited Iran's hotel building holdings and private sector entities on Saturday and decided to build the hotels under the brand name Steigenberger Hotels or InterCity Hotels in the coming years.

CHTHO Director Masoud Soltanifar also attended the meeting. During the event, he pointed to measures Iran has taken to facilitate tourism industry during past two years.

"Facilitation of visa obtaining for some nationalities, expanding number and destination of flights as well as road and rail transport systems are some tourism infrastructures improved by Iran during past years," he explained.

Soltanifar also explained about the plan to increase the number of 4-star and 5-star hotels in the next ten years, saying that "Iran will build 25 four- and five-star hotels annually in the future".

"The hotels will be built by Iran's private sector and investors from other countries. Investors from Turkey and Azerbaijan signed agreements with CHTHO to build hotels in different parts of Iran recently," he explained.

Steigenberger Hotels CEO Chhatwal, for his part, talked about the improvement in Iran's tourism industry in recent years.

He said that experts from Steigenberger Hotels visited different cities of Iran including Shiraz, Isfahan and Tehran four times during past six months and explored tourism market in the country.

Steigenberger Hotels already has 120 hotels in 13 countries and will begin building hotels in Iran until ending of 2016, he added.

Chhatwal said that they are searching for an Iranian partner to build the hotels.

The Steigenberger Hotels has improved investment in the Middle East during recent years. The Steigenberger Hotel Dubai Business Bay has been receiving guests since November 2015.

The first InterCityHotel outside Europe is scheduled to open in July 2016 in Salalah, the second largest metropolitan area in Oman and the InterCityHotel Dubai Culture Village and the Steigenberger Hotel Doha Airport Road in Qatar are scheduled for completion in 2017 and 2018 respectively.