Hilton Worldwide has announced plans to enter the cheap hotels business in Turkey through a brand to be called Hampton by Hilton.
The company has signed agreements on four Hampton by Hilton hotels and is running two other projects in 2011.
“Turkey is a powerful and growing country, which encouraged our decision,” Michael Collini, the company’s vice president of development in Turkey, Russia and Eastern Europe, said Thursday in a press conference where the agreements were unveiled. A gap exists in economic hotels in Turkey, he added.
The four Hampton by Hilton hotels will be built in Istanbul’s Kayaşehir neighborhood, Tekirdağ’s Çorlu district, the Black Sea province of Rize and the southeastern province of Gaziantep. Hilton has projects for two more Hampton by Hilton hotels in Bursa and Ordu, Collini said, adding that the company thus wants to six cheaper hotels up and running by the end of the year.
Hilton will follow a three-stage strategy, according to Collini: First, it aims to grow in all economic, luxury and medium segments in Istanbul; second, it will expand in other provinces through the Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton by Hilton; third, the company aims to construct residences in Turkey for both Hilton and Hampton by Hilton.
“Hampton by Hilton will provide cheap accommodation and meet all business and entertainment needs for Turkish customers,” Collini said. The brand has a long history in the United States and there are a total of 1,800 branches worldwide, he added.
There are currently 17 Hilton Worldwide hotels providing services in Turkey, and this number will be doubled by the end of 2011, Collini said.
Hilton also aims to bring the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts luxury brand to Turkey, but this will not be possible in the short run, Collini told journalists.
Asked about whether the company planned to expand into the Middle East, Collini said they were already present in some such countries. “We have opened development offices in strategic markets, such as in Dubai. As a U.S. firm, we are currently unable to open hotels in certain countries, due to security concerns. … However, we aim to expand in regions like China, India and Dubai.”
Istanbul’s Hampton by Hilton will be opened in August 2012, according to Acun Uyar, the general director of Makro İnşaat, the firm that is constructing the hotel. Uyar said 25 million dollars were invested in the hotel, which will have a total of 144 rooms.
via Hilton launches cheap hotel chain in Turkey – Hurriyet Daily News.