The St.Regis Istanbul
The St.Regis Hotel is located in the center of Istanbul’s Nisantasi district, previously the most wealthy and glamorous residential area in the inner city. The site constituted a corner urban void separating two disparate pieces of urban fabric: to the east, the grandeur of the commercial and residential buildings of the luxurious Abdi Ipekci street; to the west, the vast green of Macka Park.
The project draws its immediate context into a programmatic and formal dialogue. The expression of a base, middle and crown, found on other neoclassical buildings, is picked up by the composition of the hotel’s massing. A metal-clad corner completes the mass of the building, opening towards the southern views.
The hotel entails118 guest rooms, flexible conference spaces, a ballroom, lobby spaces (including lounge, bar and a brasserie), associated back-of-house facilities, a spa and valet parking. The U-shaped base of the hotel containing most of the public areas, the luxury boutiques and the ‘Brasserie’ continues the eaves line of the neighboring historic fabric.
Internally, the hotel’s ground floor with its public areas is connected to the room levels by a two-storey lobby space. Also, publicly accessible, the top of the building is crowned by the Spago restaurant with a vast open space with dramatic views over the Macka Park and the city. The guest rooms, situated in the remaining 5 floors of the building, are intuitively arranged to create a sense of normality and spatial comfort. The full-height windows with shutters at the west façade and a stone grid layout on the east façade further characterize the rooms by offering stunning views and orienting the guest within the city. The material palette remains subdued with walnut wall panels with bronze detailing, a shiny walnut & glass display cabinet, onyx countertops and earth colored upholstery and corresponds to the lively structure of the bronze at the façade.
The façade is constructed in a grid continuing the neighborhood order on the east emphasizing the building’s verticality. The use of bronze color metal as a dominant material is conceived as a continuous wrap around the building starting at the corner and enhancing the rhythmical character of the west façade.
The interiors reflect the same approach in focusing of the neighborhood’s urban history and the residential interiors of the early 20th century while introducing a rather minimal and modern side; both constituting a harmonious whole in the interiors. Ozge led Eaa design team.
The facade of the hotel facing Maçka Valley is exposed to nature and includes a lamella folding shutter system to protect from the southeast sun while still allowing for views of the Bosporus.
The expression of a base, middle and crown, found on other neoclassical buildings, is picked up by the composition of the hotel’s massing.
The articulation of stairs and landscaping around the hotel is considered an essential ingredient to merge the building to its site.
The east façade is constructed in a grid continuing the neighborhood order on the east emphasizing the building’s verticality.
The reception area with O’Petite bar at the background and the elevator lounge. All interior elements including the reception desks are also designed by Ozge.
A Botero painting and a sculpture by a local artist are the finishing touches to honed travertine elevator lobby, top and right
The lobby feature wall is designed as a huge curated cabinet reminiscent of old crystal-glassware cabinets at the residences in the Nisantasi District. A custom made curved Devrim Erbil painting depicting the Bosphorus is placed in an inset of the mezzanine wall.
“The architectural style and influences bought to the design by Özge and her team, whilst modern in nearly all aspects blends seamlessly with the surround scale and paying homage to the early 20th Century adjacent apartment and commercial buildings.
It is rare in Hospitality projects for a seamless transition from exterior to interiors to art. This requires artistic and technical skill, qualities that Özge displayed throughout the entire design and construction process culminating in the highly awarded, and commercially successful St Regis Istanbul opening its doors in 2015”
— Paul Mc Millan, Starwood Hotels, SVP Design, Construction and Engineering
The meeting rooms at the Mezzanine level
From modeling, rendering to reality. The perfection in the execution lies in the fact that every detail is worked out in 3d at the design stage.
The lower ground level accommodates the Ballroom which is also used for conferences, auctions and fashion shows. The details of the grand stairs leading to the ballroom and the curved wall leading to the entrance doors are designed in bronze.
Views from the standard room, the wood-bronze and glass detailed cabinet along with the armchair, floor and table lamps and the coffee table, all designed by Ozge, opposite
The bathroom has a feature wall cladded with a special mosaic pattern based on the 19th century maps of Nisantasi district, opposite
The Presidential Suite has a more elevated look with a custom designed library, a living room and a dining room.
A movie by John Malkovich
The movie “A Postcard from Istanbul” was directed by John Malkovich as a promotion of this unique hotel.
Project designed at EAA. Ozge Ertoptamis, Team Leader-in-Charge of design