There are good hotels, there are very good hotels, and then there are great hotels. Last year, 50 Best—an organization best known for its authoritative annual lists of the top bars and restaurants around the globe—unveiled its first-ever list of the world’s best hotels, with the paradisical Lake Como villa Passalacqua topping the list. (And deservedly so: Vogue was one of the first to check into the property back in 2022, and exclusively revealed its breathtakingly beautiful new spa complex that was unveiled earlier this year.)
Ahead of this year’s ceremony, which will be held on September 17 at the Guildhall in London, the group is unveiling the winner of the One To Watch Award—and this year, the honor has been bestowed on The Peninsula Istanbul. “The award recognizes a rising-star hotel that has made an impression on the 600-strong Academy, and that the 50 Best team believes has the potential to break into the main ranking in future editions,” Emma Sleight, head of content at The World’s 50 Best Hotels, tells Vogue. “Previous One To Watch winners in the 50 Best Bars and Restaurants rankings have gone on to break into the top 50 list, so this accolade is a significant recognition of a property’s hard work.”
Having stayed at the property back in August of last year, I can confirm it is a worthy winner: this hotel is the dazzling new jewel in Istanbul’s crown. You’ll find The Peninsula Istanbul in the city’s bustling—and up-and-coming—Karaköy district, sitting on the lip of land right where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn estuary, and with jaw-dropping views of the architectural marvels that dot the opposite shore, including the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the bazaars of the city’s Eminönü district.
Even with the long history of the Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels—a hotel group known for their impeccable service, stylish but subdued design, and keen attention to detail—The Peninsula Istanbul was one of their most ambitious projects yet, especially given the vast scale of the project. Spread across four separate edifices—three of which date to the early 19th century, and serve as a history lesson in architectural styles ranging from Art Nouveau to Arts and Crafts; a fourth was constructed specifically for The Peninsula—and nestled among gardens bursting with magnolia and pomegranate trees designed by Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea, it’s a peaceful enclave right in the beating heart of the city that comes complete with an outdoor infinity pool overlooking the Bosphorus. The dazzling interiors, meanwhile, are the brainchild of the acclaimed Turkish designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, who gained international attention back in 2009 as the first female architect of a mosque, and made a concerted effort to include the work of local artisans when designing the property.
Also worth noting: the hotel’s excellent rooftop restaurant, Gallada, which blends East Asian influences with local Turkish delicacies in a menu inspired by the cultural interchange of the historic Silk Road, and is overseen by two Michelin-starred chef Fatih Tutak, whose restaurant Turk Fatih Tutak is one of the city’s buzziest dining destinations. The spa, too, is a thing of wonder, with a centerpiece of a gargantuan 82-foot indoor pool, eight marble-lined treatment rooms, traditional hammams, saunas, and every kind of wellness gizmo you could possibly imagine.
As for why it was The Peninsula Istanbul specifically that made the cut, in the words of 50 Best? “From the sensitively restored historic buildings of its setting to the sumptuous interiors by acclaimed Turkish designer Zeynep Fadillioglu and warm, dedicated approach to authentic Turkish hospitality, The Peninsula Istanbul is a worthy winner,” Sleight adds. “This new opening revived a collection of forgotten port buildings, breathing new life into a historic area that is fast becoming one of the most exciting neighborhoods in Istanbul, establishing The Peninsula Istanbul as an icon in the making.” We don’t disagree.
