Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company, has signed a management agreement with Demsa Group, a leading Turkish luxury and fashion retail firm, to operate the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul.

Jumeirah Group, a member of Dubai Holding, will assume management of the luxury museum hotel from May 1 and the property will be known as Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah.

Pera Palace Hotel originally opened in 1892 as the destination hotel in Istanbul for discerning travellers on the Orient Express train. Its elegant, understated design reflects art nouveau, neoclassical and oriental styles, complete with white Carrara marble, exquisite Murano glass chandeliers and hand-woven Ousak carpets.

Known as the longest established luxury hotel in Istanbul, Pera Palace boasted the first electric elevator in Turkey and its rooms have hosted many of the world’s most significant figures.

Located in the culturally rich and dynamic Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, within easy reach of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the airport, Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah has 115 rooms including 16 suites, the majority of them with balconies.

The hotel underwent a major refurbishment resulting in a grand re-opening in September 2010; in late 2011 the hotel’s usage rights transferred to Demsa Group, who has now selected Jumeirah Group to operate the property in line with the Jumeirah brand promise of Stay Different.

The hotel has a 380 sq m spa and four function rooms. Its main restaurant, Agatha, is named after the famous British crime writer Agatha Christie and serves French, Italian and Turkish specialities, paying tribute to the tree major stops of the former Orient Express.

Orient Bar is a well-known meeting-point for the intellectuals and the high society of Istanbul, as are the Kubbeli Saloon and Tea Lounge, Patisserie de Pera and Orient Terrace in summer. – TradeArabia News Service