Raffles to Open Hotel in Istanbul

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is to open an hotel in Istanbul in 2012. The hotel will be a key feature of the new Zorlu Center, one of the largest developments the city has seen for many years.

The hotel is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2012, under the name of Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center.

The Zorlu Center is a mixed-use project that will bring together a performing arts centre, offices, residential property, retail and the hotel - all with a Bosphorus view.

Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center will be developed by Zorlu Property with an investment of over US$175 million, excluding the land value. Its design will reflect the cultural and characteristic features of Istanbul, with 130 guestrooms and 50 suites.

 The size of the rooms will be above average, with standard rooms at 65 square metres, and suites with a maximum space of 370 square metres.

The hotel will have a ballroom with a 1,200 person capacity, two restaurants and bars, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a heliport.

It will also be home to a signature Raffles Spa, which is set to be one of the largest spas in Istanbul at approximately 3,000 square-metres.

Hotel guests will have direct access to the Performance Arts Centre, which will offer world-class dramas and musicals simultaneously with their openings in London and Broadway.

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