Mr. Erkan
Mr. Erkan, we know that you have been working at Rixos for many years, could you tell us about yourself and your Rixos journey?
I was born on April 5, 1971 in Antalya. After completing my primary and secondary education in Antalya, I pursued my education studying Tourism and Hospitality at Akdeniz University, from 1988 to 1992. I’ve had a passion for meeting new people and getting to know different cultures ever since I was a little kid. So much so, I wanted to become a tourist guide and hotelier and as my university education begun, so did my career. Rather than just doing internships in the summer, I always worked full time and grew both in school and in the business. Until we crossed paths with Rixos in 2001, I had worked in various departments and levels in many different hotels in Antalya and also worked as a senior manager in tour companies. That is when, Fettah Tamince opened the first Rixos Hotel im 2001, ”Club Hotel Rixos Belek", whose reputation would spread all over the world in the next 22 years to come. Since then, I have been of this group that I am deeply proud of, where I have witnessed every single step of becoming a global brand. From 2007 to 2015, the biggest growth years for the group, I was head of Sales and Marketing which was a cruical role at the time. Later on, I moved to Dubai and became the head of Rixos Hotels all over the world, as Senior Vice President of Operations, except for Turkey. For the last 4 years, I have been the CEO of the Egyptian Region, where we currently have 4 hotels and 2500 rooms. We have many new projects coming, especially in Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada and Cairo.
Mr. Erkan; Rixos Hotels represent Turkish hospitality in the most beautiful way in the Egyptian territory. Could you tell us more about these hotels and the new projects on the borders of Egypt?
As part of our ongoing partnership with Accor, one of the largest hotel groups in the world, Rixos Hotels provides its services with 4 hotels in Egypt. With Rixos Premium Seagate and Rixos Sharm El Sheikh located in Sharm El Sheikh, as well as Rixos Premium Magawish Suites & Villas, which we opened in Hurghada in 2021, and Rixos Alamein located on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, we represent Turkish hospitality in the most beautiful way possible.
There are also special Rixos privileges that we offer specifically for this region. With the advantage of staying in 2 different hotels on the same holiday, our guests have the chance to experience both Rixos Premium Seagate and Rixos Sharm El Sheikh during their visits. With 17 a la carte restaurants located in our two hotels in Sharm El Sheikh, you can experience a rich food culture from the world's elite cuisines, and also visit the Ras Mohamed National Park and experience the beauty of nature in its colorful underwater world. Our guests can also go on desert safari trips from our hotels, which are only 10 minutes away from the airport. There are 250 types of coral rocks and over a thousand types of fish in the region.
Premium Magawish, on the other hand, awaits our guests in the most stunning way with its exclusive architectural design, consisting only of suites and villas. In this facility, the villas and lagoon suites have a pool out front and the privelege to get out of the room and enter the cool pool is quite appealing. Inside the hotel, there are 30 pools and a stable of Arabian horses for our guests. The hotel offers a sensational beach experience with its kilometer-long-coast, where the warm sand meets the turquoise sea, along with relaxing on the White Island in the middle of azure waters.
Our new project in Sharm el Sheikh is a huge facility where the number of rooms is close to 3000. This project is a living center with 5 different hotels with private villas, a show arena for 20,000 people, 36 restaurants & cafes, and a shopping center, along with a theme park and the largest entertainment park in Egypt and Middle East. By the year 2025, our goal is to increase the number of rooms in the region to 10,000 and open the doors of Turkish hospitality to visitors of all nationalities.
Rixos Alamein on the Mediterranean coast, offers a unique holiday with a snow-white beach and sea in many shades of blue.
Recently, the good news of visa-free travel to Sharm el Sheikh came to Turkish citizens. What are the conditions of visa-free travel and what regions does it cover?
Thanks to this decision made by Sharm el Sheikh in April, we are happy to once again welcome and entertain our Turkish guests here, in Sharm el Sheikh.
With these new guidelines, that are limited to Sharm el Sheikh, Turkish citizens over the age of 45 and under the age of 20 can enter Egypt without a visa. Sharm El Sheikh, where the sun shines all year round, is only a 2 hours and 15 minutes flight away from Istanbul.
Which months of the year would you recommend for our guests who want to visit Egypt?
Sharm El Sheikh, with its sunny and rain-free climate all year round, provides the opportunity for a 12-month sea holiday. Located in the unique beauty of the Red Sea, the city awaits our guests for a holiday full of Rixos privileges and fresh air, all year long.
Comments