Priyanka Saxena Ray
The only Ottoman Imperial Palace and Hotel on the Bosphorus that once hosted Sultans, Çırağan Palace has a heritage that dates back to the 17thcentury. The building had different formations including a waterside summer villa and a marble palace. The Hotel and Palace opened in 1991 as an accommodation and event venue managed by Kempinski, Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group; celebrating its 125th year anniversary.
Mr. Ralph Radtke has been the General Manager of the iconic Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul since 2011 and takes pride in the journey he has led and continues till date with the landmark property.Çırağan Palace Kempinski is regarded as the ideal venue to host city’s high profile meetings and congresses, weddings and social events where one can create memories to remember for a lifetime experience.
Extremely lively and witty, Mr.Radtke’s passion for the property is well-reflected in the manner he talks about it. A man of many talents, he prides is keeping a check on all aspects of the property and often personally spends time meeting with the guests and taking their feedback on the stay. A hotel that has catered to many celebrities, royalties and popular stars, the Ciragan Palace Kempinski is also popular for hosting lavish weddings and social events. Infact, the hotels has also hosted few Indian weddings and this is a market they are keen on tapping on. Just recently famous Bollywood star – Sara Ali Khan had stayed at the hotel and was completely awed by it.
Just like any other hotel, the pandemic was hard on Ciragan Palace Kempinskitoo but the hotel did not sack any of its staff and rather stood in solidarity with the entire team. As round after round of vaccinations take place and world opens up for travel, Mr.Radtke is confident of the good times returning soon, with safety being the top priority.“As a leading property, we continue to focus on safe, proactive, and efficient solutions at Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul. Our priority remains to provide a healthy and safe environment for all our guests and employees. With this in mind, we strictly follow the rules and regulations. As Çırağan Palace, we immediately developed our services, places and facilities in this direction and quickly adapted to the process. With such large gardens and open-air alternatives in the Bosphorus line, we are naturally preferred by guests who are looking to holiday amidst open spaces.”
Çırağan Palace has also created various special accommodation and experience packages for the new order, considering the comfort and convenience of its guests. Attractive accommodation packages are rolled out especially for the ones who want to be able to relieve stress and breathe a little away from the chaos of the city. Guests can have their breakfast at their private balconies against the backdrop of the Bosphorus as well as à la carte service on the terrace of the Gazebo Lounge if they prefer.
“In addition to this, we have focused on a new project, which we have termed the ‘Çırağan Palace Shop’, to be able to create a different service line for our local guests. The ‘Çırağan Palace Shop’ is offering our guests special pastries and delicacies that they can enjoy from the comfort of their homes. As a summary of the work, in this process, with the social distancing order having entered our lives and at a time when a comfortable experience away from the crowd is desired, we offer plenty of alternatives for our guests to create their own special areas,” he adds.
Concluding the interview he adds, “Pandemic or no pandemic, one must create a positive work environment for the entire team. Listen to everyone’s ideas, trust in your team members, show your appreciation and be an accessible manager. That is the thing for me. I am all the time taking these specific actions to build this kind of manner of behaviour around me. My focus is to build a team of loyal, productive, and motivated employees where each one values the other and every one is appreciated. It is important for the employees to know that you listen and take in consideration their opinions, concerns, and suggestions. Be approachable and let them know that they can talk to you in confidence whenever they need to.”
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