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Style:Turkish delight
Scene:Uban oasis
Seen in the lobby: Trendsetters
Design guru Ian Schrager's latest offering the Istanbul EDITION is pure gold. From the glowing hues of its impressive penthouse to its bronze-floored spa and the aptly named Gold Bar all is a subtle shimmer of copper and gold with warm wood panelling. 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.
The Luxury Travel Bible is particularly fond of the lofty Penthouse with jaw-dropping views and lavish golden interiors. It also has glass walled bathrooms and state of the art techno-toys like 42 inch Bang and olefsen TV screens.
The Luxury Travel Bible is particularly fond of the lofty Penthouse with jaw-dropping views and lavish golden interiors
We could also happily spend a great deal of time in the three-storey, spa by ESPA. We could while away the hours steaming in the traditional hamman and then spend even more time on the couples couch/swing suspended from the ceiling of the private VIP spa suite. In the spa HBA London's Inge Moore and Nathan Hutchins created a contemporary spa inspired largely by Turkish traditions.
Ever since Guiseppe Cipriani created his iconic Venetian restaurant back in the 1930s the name hasn't been given away lightly. So it is a hotel coup that a wood-panelled Cipriani's restaurant is found in this new EDITION. These days a screening room is also de rigeur and the Billionaire Nightclub leaves you in no doubt as to who the hotel expects its clientele to be. 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:
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| Luxury Hotels Link: www.EditionHotels.com |
Hilary Doling 15/4/11
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