İGA, the constructer and operator of İstanbul New Airport (İNA) for 25 years, and YOTEL, the London based hotel group, have signed an exclusive hotel management contract. The hotel will be one of the biggest airport hotels in the world with both airside and landside access to 451 rooms. Located conveniently inside the main terminal building, it will be easily accessible to business and leisure travellers, airline crew and businesses within the airport and local environment.
“We are delighted to have chosen YOTEL as our new airport’s exclusive air and landside hotel operator,” says Kadri Samsunlu, CEO of İGA Airport Operation. “We are making history with İstanbul New Airport. Already in its construction phase, the multiple-world record breaking project is likely to change the transportation and aviation dynamics of a tri-continent region covering Europe, Asia and Africa. In this connection, İstanbul New Airport will accelerate the growth of Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Turkey which flies to the most countries in the world. Our focus is to bring an unprecedented passenger experience that is efficient and stress-free, cutting waiting time and paper processing. YOTEL will contribute to our perfect passenger experience approach with unique innovative, elemental luxury and technologically decked space. I am very confident that İstanbul New Airport will be a global showcase, not only for the world-renowned Turkish hospitality, but also a brand-new bridge, which connects people and continents. The inauguration of the New Airport is scheduled for October 29 this year and we look forward to hosting the world!”
The capacity of İNA will be expanded to cater up to 200 million people once all four phases are completed and will have a total of six runways and three terminals. İNA will connect over 350 destinations from Istanbul and host nearly 100 airlines.
Commenting on the brand’s first investment in Turkey, Hubert Viriot, YOTEL’s CEO says: “We’ve witnessed Turkey’s, and particularly Istanbul’s remarkable economic and urban development, transformation and its noticeably increased popularity over the past few years. İstanbul New Airport will only further increase Istanbul’s ever-expanding popularity and economy, and YOTEL is delighted to be a part of it. The prevailing ambitious vision to make İstanbul New Airport the largest transit hub in the world made it very attractive for us to be there, and we are extremely honoured to be chosen for this exciting project. This city aspires to high growth success, just like YOTEL, so we are a perfect match.”
Continuing, Viriot says, “Istanbul is an unbelievably vibrant city. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it touts a surplus of historical and cultural offerings, rendering Istanbul the fifth most visited city in the world. What is more, it has one of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world, a solid reason to open even more hotels there in the future.”
YOTEL will introduce its clever design and use of technology in two zones – one airside (102 rooms) and one landside (349 rooms). Both parts of the new hotel will feature public spaces including YOTEL’s signature Club Lounge concept with smart vending, co-working and relaxing areas, wellness centres and planted glazed atriums to connect people with nature. In addition, the landside zone will include a restaurant, bar and 24/7 gym. The new hotel will also feature flexible meeting spaces with seamless technology, ideal for small or large, formal and casual meetings, conveniently located for airport businesses and passengers alike.
