
Istanbul welcomes its newest luxury hotel this week with the opening of the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul on 11 May. The opulent 186-room hotel is the second in Europe for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, which hails from the other city where East famously meets West, Hong Kong. Shangri-La brought its inimitable Asian "hospitality from the heart" to Paris in 2010 to rave reviews and now adds Istanbul to its growing list of international gateway cities.
Set on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait between the Dolmabahce Palace and Naval Museum, Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul overlooks the unfolding panorama of Istanbul's domes and minarets and the green hills of the city's Asian shores.
It is located on the site of a former tobacco warehouse from the 1930s. The warehouse's restored, six-storey Neo-Classical façade and two carefully preserved 150- and 350-year-old Sycamore trees in the courtyard give testament to the past.
Inside, the Shangri-La is a modern oasis. The hotel takes design cues from the glamorous Dolmabahce Palace with swathes of marble, glittering chandeliers and a mix of European, Asian and Turkish design. A grand staircase wends down the hotel's three-story atrium, transporting guests from the lobby to the elegant ballrooms and other venues below.
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