The Rixos Hotels chain has won Istanbul's Golden Horn port tender, reports Hurriyet Daily News.
A joint venture between Sembol, Ekopark İnşaat and Fine Otelcilik – all companies in which Rixos is a shareholder – the tender was won following acceptance of a USD1.35 billion submission.
The Golden Horn tender is the result of the privatisation of the shipyards in Istanbul's Golden Horn (Haliç) precinct. According to Hurriyet, the privatisation process follows a "build – operate – transfer" (BOT) model.
The offer was made after 20 rounds of bids from rival companies and consortiums.
Fettah Tamince, owner of the Rixos Hotels chain, commented that, following the tender, the company plans to make an additional investment of over a billion Turkish Lira (USD520 million).
The company hopes to attract an additional one million tourists per year with the project. Tamince further commented that it was not certain if the Rixos Hotels brand would be involved.
The tender is yet to be finalised and subject to the approval of Turkey's Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communication.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
Image Source: Arild Vågen
