Motto by Hilton to open first hotel in Istanbul

with the recent rise of the tourism sector in Turkey, foreign hotel chains have once again turned their attention to the country.

The multinational hospitality company Hilton serves in Turkey with 63 hotels, under five different brands, including DoubleTree, Garden Inn, Hampton, Conrad and Hilton. Having recently signed for Curio, the hotel chain has also pushed the button for Motto, its seventh brand. Motto will be opened in Istanbul, simultaneously with cities that have heavy tourist traffic such as London, Washington and Dublin.

Hilton Turkey Senior Investment Director Tuğrul Temel said that the new brand will be located in city centers.

"Finding land in the city centers around the world has become quite difficult. Therefore, we wanted to develop a solution and implemented the Motto by Hilton brand," he said.

Explaining that Motto will have 100 14-square-meter rooms, Temel added, "The rooms are ergonomically used with smart designs. These interconnected and shared rooms also appeal to crowded groups."

He stressed that a competitive policy will be followed at Motto. He added that the brand will be opened simultaneously in some of the world's leading tourism cities, including Istanbul, which holds a very important place for the brand.

He further explained that the brand's first hotel will be opened in Karaköy, which will be operational in 2021 provided that construction starts this year.

Announcing that Hilton opened 63 hotels in Turkey and signed on for 25 which are still under construction, Temel said they currently operate in the country with five brands, including 13 Hiltons, 17 DoubleTrees, 19 Garden Inns, 13 Hampton and one Conrad.

"We have recently signed for our Curio brand. We will open three hotels, two in Istanbul and one in Bodrum," he continued. "We are opening the first Curio in Sultanahmet this year, thus reaching six brands in total. Our seventh brand will be Motto. We also have a brand called Canopy and it is located in the market as Hilton and above. We are still in talks for our plans to bring this brand to Istanbul."

Stating that they do not have a number in mind for Motto, Temel noted that they plan to open the hotels in touristic areas in Istanbul, like Taksim, Nişantaşı, Kadıköy and Sultanahmet. "Motto's investment and operating costs are much more affordable," he said. "As a powerful alternative for investors who want to take part in city centers, Motto provides great efficiency in small areas with its ergonomically designed and shared rooms. Since the rooms are operated effectively, the profitability margin is high, and competitive prices also offer a powerful alternative for tourists."

Temel said 2018 was a very productive year for Hilton Turkey, adding their hotels significantly increased their revenues compared to 2017.

"Profitability varies in each province. For example, the revenues of our hotels in Istanbul increased by 30 percent in terms of foreign currency compared to 2017. For this year, the indicators point to a very positive direction as well," he added.