The luxury boutique hotel makes its official debut this month (April 2011) although those in the know have been sneaking in for a peak since its 'soft' opening in February. So soft no one was quite sure whether the hotel was actually taking guests at all.

Still an intriguing start is what a new Schrager hotel deserves. This is the second hotel from Schrager's creative collaboration with Bill Marriot and Marriott International hotels. The first being the much-lauded Waikiki EDITION in Hawaii.

This latest glimmering offering is in the centre of Istanbul's trendy Levent area. New York based architects, Gabellini Sheppard Associates have partnered with Schrager to give this 15 floor, 77 room oasis a style with a distinctly Turkish twist.

Imagine yourself in one of Istanbul's old Bosphorus villas, then throw out half the cushions and a couple of carpets, streamline the whole thing and you've got Istanbul EDITION.a hotel with a stylish spirit of place. Here hotel meets harem, bedrooms meet Byzantine, modern meets medina. Take the lobby for example, with its Ottoman Empire inspired dome. Or the Gold Bar where fish swim in a giant aquarium goggling at guests lounging below them on gold and white scatter cushions and banquettes like something out of a Turkish tearoom. Pass me the hubbly bubbly.

Schrager of course was the man who co-created Studio 54, then put the term boutique before hotel and almost single handedly stylised the whole industry with his Morgans Hotels Group (which created hotels such as the Sanderson) back in the distant design past of the 1980s. More recently he has focused on luxury residences and the eclectic Gramercy Park hotel in New York City. As Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International, puts it, "Ian Schrager's concepts have revolutionised both nightlife and hospitality. Time and time again he succeeds in making people feel as if they are part of something new, unique and special; always eliciting an emotional and visceral connection to the experiences he creates. His concepts have been and continue to bewidely imitated around the world."

So it is exciting news that with the EDITION brand, the stylemeister is back with a vengeance with plans to publish more EDITIONs in Miami, Mexico City, Barcelona, Bangkok and London.

Check in: Buyukdere Caddesi No 136 Levent, Istanbul, Turkey 34330, Phone 90-212-317-7700 Email [email protected]

Ultimate Luxury:  The lofty Penthouse

Most Indulgent Moment: Steaming in the hamman

Insider Secrets: Original concept drawing had blond wood walls but both light and dark wood panelling is used in the bedrooms

Junior Luxies: A little out of place

Dress code: Urban cic with an Eastern twist

Dent in the platinum:

Luxury Hotels Link: www.EditionHotels.com