Rezidor to open Radisson Blu hotel in Istanbul

The Rezidor Hotel Group is to open its third hotel in Istanbul, scheduled to open in Q4 2011.

The 194-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Asia will hope to capture a share of the growing number of tourists to Turkey.

Rezidor president and CEO Kurt Ritter said he was delighted to add to the company's portfolio in the region.

“Besides two other Radisson Blu hotels in Istanbul we are managing a Radisson Blu hotel in Ankara as well as a new Radisson Blu resort in Cesme, and control a total of 1150 rooms,” Ritter added.

In 2009, Istanbul attracted nearly 7.5 million visitors, the goal for 2010 is to attract 10 million tourists to the city.

The Middle East accounted for the highest growth with a 20% increase in tourist arrivals from the region, mainly from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

According to the Turkish Consulate Cultural & Information Office the 20% increase acquaints to about 100,000 tourists, this does not include the expat population which adds a similar number of arrivals.

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Asia will be a new-build project on the Asian side of the city – located in the heart of the booming Atasehir district.

The hotel will offer an all-day-dining restaurant, 2 bars, 10 function rooms (including a 375 square metre ballroom) and a large health centre.