A record investment by three partners in four months

Brought to life through the partnership of Semih Peköz, Oğuz Kağan Yurdakan and Sıtkı Kayalı with a $7 million investment, Unique Life Style Hotel aims to elevate the Kuşadası destination. Completed in as little as four months, the project is planned to reach $10 million with its additional areas.

During the pandemic, many business leaders hit the brakes, halted their investments or revised their plans. But there were also those who moved in exactly the opposite direction. İzmir natives Semih Peköz, Oğuz Kağan Yurdakan and Sıtkı Kayalı are among the entrepreneurs who took on new investment during this period. The three partners made a $7 million investment in the 56-room Unique Life Style Hotel, built on a 10-decare plot in Kuşadası.

While the concept and infrastructure work took about a year, construction of the hotel was completed in as little as four months. Reflecting a sustainable tourism concept and set to remain open 12 months a year to offer a personalized holiday experience, Unique Life Style Hotel is nestled among century-old pine and olive trees.

Boutique service

Noting that theirs was one of the 8 tourism investments realized in Turkey this year, Oğuz Kağan Yurdakan emphasizes that they did not give up on the investment despite the 40 percent rise in construction costs during the pandemic. Stating that their fundamental goal is to offer guests boutique service by creating morning, noon and evening concepts, Yurdakan says: "Our greatest dream is for these investments to bring Kuşadası back to the days when it broke tourism records in the 1980s. We are targeting 20,000 overnight stays per year. For our beaches and restaurants, we plan to host 150,000 outside guests this year."

Employment for 1,000 people

Semih Peköz, who says they built an A-team by enriching their offerings, notes: "Our hotel, which stands out with a skilled human resource pool of professionals each experienced in their field and holding international awards across different disciplines, provides direct employment for 140 people and, through its supply and logistics network, for 1,000 people." Sıtkı Kayalı, for his part, states that the return on the investment will take 7 to 8 years.

Architect Devrim Soylu, describing how they designed a project in harmony with nature, says: "In the project we used stone, glass, steel and wood. We had the right to build a five-story structure, but we did not. There are very old pine trees and 150-year-old olive trees; we did not cut down a single one during construction. We changed the shape of the architecture so as not to fell any trees."

A gastronomy destination

While Lucky Resto Bar blends world cuisine with flavors unique to the Aegean Region, Wish Restoran stands out with its menu of delicious fish and seafood. Bringing together a wide selection of whiskies and cognacs along with distinguished cigar varieties for enthusiasts at Baraquda Lounge, Unique also boasts the Aegean Region's largest wine cellar. The wines, served alongside a sommelier, are produced from grapes of the Aegean Region, where viticulture has been practiced for years.

Source: Ekonomist · Songül Bilgili / Özlem Bay Yılmaz · 27 October 2022