Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul rolled out the red carpets for guests.
Leaders of Europe’s luxury hospitality community gathered at Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul on Thursday to celebrate Forbes Travel Guide’s 2022 Star Award winners. More than 70 industry tastemakers from more than 10 countries across the region gathered under the towering palm trees along East Garden’s famous strait.
“The opportunity to bring together so many of our great hotel and industry partners to celebrate Istanbul and the iconic Çırağan Palace was a great honor,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “The spirit of our industry community – which included hoteliers, travel buyers, luxury brands and tourism agencies – was palpable throughout the evening, punctuated by a spectacular full moon rising over the Bosphorus, highlighting the remarkable collection of FTG-rated hotels. “
Among the attendees were Jonathan Crook, Managing Director of the upcoming The Peninsula Istanbul; Anne Golden, General Manager, Pan Pacific London; Sal Gowili, General Manager of The Ritz London; Adrian Messerli, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Madrid; Tarek Mourad, Senior General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul in Sultanahmet and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul on the Bosphorus; and Andrew Steele, General Manager of Raffles Istanbul.
Chris Fradin, Amanda Frasier, Ralph Radtke and Hermann Elger welcomed industry tastemakers.
“As Forbes Travel Guide awarded us five stars in 2022, we are very pleased to host a very special reception tonight at our legendary hotel on the shores of the Bosphorus,” said Ralph Radtke, General Manager of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul. and Regional Director of Türkiye Kempinski Residences. “Following the launch of its star rating system in Türkiye with several prestigious properties earning a spot on the Istanbul list, Forbes Travel Guide is proud to welcome Çırağan Palace as the first local hotel in its Curated Partnership Program, a group of star-rated properties with access to exclusive benefits that are designed to further strengthen the hospitality community. We are proud to host this exclusive event and to reunite with many important hospitality industry professionals from the European region. Çırağan Palace, with its heritage dating back to the 17th century, continues to be one of the most important ambassadors of Turkish hospitality worldwide and we are extremely pleased to introduce our beautiful city of Çırağan in a palace in a magnificent setting.
Attendees enjoyed a cocktail reception.
During the event, Chris Fradin, FTG Senior Vice President, Partner Services – EMEA & Asia Pacific, shared with the crowd that the company plans to expand its ratings in Europe for its 2023 Star Awards. Forbes Travel Guide publishes ratings for Athens, Bodrum, Brussels, Capri, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm on February 15, 2023.
FTG’s newly appointed Ratings President Amanda Frasier then presided over a champagne cocktail toast, thanking the hotel staff and mentioning the importance of Les Clefs d’Or, the international association of professional hotel concierges, which had two presidents in the audience.
A luxurious hospitality community blended in a beautiful garden.
After that, Elger drew a curated stay at Le Log in Cognac, an all-inclusive 16th-century private château amidst vineyards in Cognac, France, home to FTG’s Center of Excellence corporate retreat. The winner was Diego Roggero, general manager of the soon-to-open Portrait Milano from the Ferragamo family. All attendees enjoyed a luxury gift bag from FTG Brand Officials Frette, La Bottega, Hyperice, Nespresso, Gharieni and custom chocolates from Çırağan Palace.
The evening continued with guests enjoying the atmosphere of Istanbul on the shores of the Bosphorus. Some took private boats to the five-star Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul restaurant Novikov, hosted by Elger, Frette CEO Filippo Arnaboldi, Comte de Montaigne global marketing director Riccardo Maria Ferrari and hotel general manager Harun Dursun.
Guests received gifts from FTG brand officials and Çırağan Palace.
The Istanbul celebration provided many participants with their first chance to reconnect in person since the pandemic. “A great event, always nice to make faces and meet great people, united by Forbes and passion for the industry,” said José Manuel Molina, general manager of BLESS Hotel Ibiza, which received its first five stars this year. According to Molina, the festivities involved “meeting great people and being able to share your passion and have a spectacular night.” He added, “It’s always great to share stories and meet GMs and partners with the highest levels of success at the top.”
