Swissotel: Moment of truth

by Bernard KENNEDY

The Swissotel Ankara will add to the attractions of life in the capital - for residents as well as visitors.

At about the time you read this, the first clients will be quietly arriving at Ankara’s brand new Swissotel, one of only about 40 hotels managed by Singapore-based Raffles International worldwide. Ankara society is sure to be drawn to the bar, restaurants, wellness centre and pool, all of which promise to offer an exotic “East meets West” atmosphere. Ample parking facilities and proximity to smart areas of Çankaya can be expected to make up for the off-beat location in a Yıldız side-street (21. Sok, No.2). Meanwhile, there are ample facilities to tempt institutions, companies and embassies, not to mention wedding parties.

“We have always had it in mind to open a hotel in the capital city,” explains General Manager Michel Van Der Elst, pointing to Swissotel’s success in Istanbul, where he has been based for the past fourteen years, and its expansion plans elsewhere in the country. “In the last couple of years, Ankara has been more and more in the limelight in Europe due to the EU accession talks. Soon there will be a new airport. The capital needs high quality hotels and I think the Swissotel will help the city to be where it should be.”

Bar and Spa

With 150 hi-tech rooms, the Swissotel Ankara will be small enough to provide that extra personal touch, asserts Van Der Elst, who has also worked in Korea and Beijing. “But a hotel should not just be a place to sleep; it should be a place where something is happening.”

The modern-but-comfortable ground-floor bar to the right of the broad foyer is set to offer live music – possibly including jazz – and weekend parties. To the left is Swissotel’s trade-mark all-day diner, the Café Swiss Restaurant, where a variety of international and Swiss dishes will be presented. There is also a speciality restaurant featuring top-notch Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, with private room available. “A casual good restaurant,” says Van Der Elst, “No boring fine dining.”

“Every month we aim to have something different – a regional menu for instance, with entertainment to go with it,” the manager adds. Outside catering services and cultural and gourmet promotions are on the agenda too. But Van Der Elst saves his greatest enthusiasm for the wellness centre and spa – the largest in Ankara at 3,000 square metres: “It’s an Amrita spa, which is a concept special to Swissotel and Raffles hotels. It’s not just about fitness but about all-round health. It will have its own very experienced director and a flavour of the East.” The spa is expected to be complete by the end of May or the beginning of June, when the hotel will opens officially.

Business and social

The new hotel also has a 25-metre semi-Olympic pool – look out for the Sunday brunch plus pool option – and a state-of-the-art ballroom for up to 1,000 people. Seven meeting rooms, secretarial services, audiovisual systems and translation booths will help to attract conferences and similar events.

“Opening up a hotel is always a challenge,” Van Der Elst concludes. “You start from just a desk and a chair and you build it up from there. Now the moment of truth is approaching. We have people here from Istanbul, Moscow, Germany and Amsterdam training staff and helping us to put it all together. But you never know if it works properly until the first guest checks in.”

( DIPLOMAT  -  April 2006  - Ankara )