TRUMP'ED
The countdown to 2010, the year istanbul becomes the European Capital of Culture, has hit a fevering pitch. With more announcements to keep the press on their toes, and international brands knocking at the door: a couple of new five-star hotels, swanky restaurants popping right and left, and an upcoming conference that will enlighten tens of thousands of American travel agents about the wealth that lures tourists to the city, and the country at large.
Even the Donald's getting into the mix.
A new residential/retail/office hybrid bearing the shaggy mogul, turned TV-sensation name will grace Sisli's Mecidiyekoy quarters. The actors are an unlikely bunch--a tendentious publishing mogul, a conservative real estate developer, and the legend himself.
In there lies its potential.... Each party is a brand in their own right, all piquing interest-- and headlines-- at their mere mention. And, if mixed properly, these unlikely bedfellows could be explosive, particularly with Istanbul's capricious socialites.The segment that this starry development hopes to target. Who knows? It could even outshine the Don's other locations in the U.S., Middle East and Central America.
The Trump Towers Istanbul project was launched at a much-publicized ceremony in New York in mid-April, with mogul-in-waiting Ivanka at her father's side. The deal includes two towers, soaring 35 floors above ground, with an additional four floors underground earmarked for retail, according to the last revision. One tower will accommodate offices, while the other luxury residential space. Both towers will differ slightly in design and height, according to the latest renderings unveiled online by Brigitte Weber Archirects insiders. All in all, the projet will rise some a 23,370 m², with a total construction area of 244,428 m², and is expected to completed by 2010.
STRICTLY SPEAKING: MONEY-- PARA