A brand new Sheraton in Istanbul, InterContinental soon in Ankara

A brand new Sheraton has reopened its doors in Istanbul, in the Levent business district. Recently renovated, the hotel embodies the ongoing transformation of this historic business travel brand. This new approach takes the form of a design accent, lively lobbies around a café-bar-market adapted to mobile work, and redesigned rooms. All of these elements are reflected in the Turkish metropolis, with works by contemporary Turkish artist Seckin Prim throughout the hotel and his Community Table in the lobby of the Sheraton Levent.

Introduced in the brand's most recent hotels, this space is designed for business travellers with tables where you can work and relaxAll this is enhanced by practical features such as power sockets and wireless recharging stations. In addition, two-seater booths provide a more discreet setting for business meetings, while enhancing privacy for private or professional calls.

With 248 rooms, the hotel has an Italian cuisine restaurant, Levantino, a fitness centre and a spa. Marriott Bonvoy Elite members and Sheraton Club level guests will find on the 20th floor a lounge with views over Istanbul and the Bosphorus. The hotel also lends itself to business events, with a 1,123 m² space comprising a ballroom and nine daylight meeting rooms, each named after a hero of the Guide Dogs for the Blind association.

While Marriott is strengthening its offering in Istanbul with this new Sheraton, the group IHG also has projects in the city. A Crowne Plaza is due to appear shortly in the Tuzla district, at the eastern end of the city, with a 259-room hotel on the seafront, within the Viaport marina, with meeting facilities. But this is not the most important development planned in Turkey by the British group, since IHG is above all awaiting the installation of its InterContinental luxury brand in Ankara, which will complement the one already opened in Istanbul.

To make its debut in the Turkish capital, InterContinental is moving into the walls of the city's first five-star hotelHotel Büyük Ankara, opened in 1966. After a renovation phase due for completion in 2023, this historic hotel will have 214 rooms, including 21 suites and a 350 m² presidential suite. The InterContinental Grand Ankara will feature an upmarket restaurant with a private terrace, Lalezar, a more casual brasserie and a lobby bar. There will also be a spa and a swimming pool on a 1,000 m² terrace with a retractable roof.

It's a chic, elegant venue, and its location makes it ideal for business trips. " The hotel is located in a prime business locationclose to the Turkish Grand National Assembly, ministries, government offices and embassies" described Willemijn GeelsVice President, European Development, IHG Hotels & Resorts. In parallel with this opening, and still aimed at business travellers, but with a much more economical positioning, the British group is also expecting to open a 122-room Holiday Inn Express near Ankara airport in 2022.