Gulcan Imal: Luxury is a form of art

Lujo Bodrum, with its minimal architectural style, natural colours and spectacular Aegean view, blends comfort and luxury with a delicate balance and artistic rigour that will give you more pleasure than a masterpiece can offer.

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Describe your business in 5 words

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Art, joy, not ordinary, gourmet, elegant.

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The luxury market is changing. How are you adapting your offering?

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We are trying to push our sales with some attractive offers as below:

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 Lujo offers its guests free lounge service at Bodrum/Milas Airport

 All our fine dining menus are exclusively curated by our talented chefs and every dish is freshly prepared by order

 25-year-old whiskeys and special cocktails by our mixologists are included in our all-inclusive concept

 Our kids club serves from 9 am until 2 am

 All our pools (indoor and outdoor) are heated during spring months

 Lujo Edition Services: Butler & buggy for our villa guests. A separate lounge, restaurant and fitness area

 We offer a free private jet for guests who have booked the Presidential Villa for more than 10 nights (from some cities in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey)

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Who are your guests? Have your demographics changed, or have they stayed the same?

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In our first season, we mostly hosted guests from Eastern and Western Europe, UK, America and CIS countries.

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After the first season, the number of guests from the UK and Europe had increased significantly.

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Currently, we are focused on Europe and we adapt and update our services for Europe.

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What’s trending in your destination?

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Activities like golf, fishing and yachting.

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We have a partnership with a close by 18-hole golf course in Bodrum and offer complimentary transfers from the hotel. Also, there are fishing organisations that attract participants from all over the world.

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Besides these, Bodrum is always a popular destination for yacht lovers. Marinas and beautiful bays attract guests throughout the season.

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What emerging trends do you think will shake up the industry?

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Blazingly, sustainability is leading. Guests are more environmentally conscious. They look for eco-friendly solutions and they want to see sincere effort in all the details.

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This affects their perception and trust in the hotel. We realise and notice that we should do our part by changing our old habits in a world where we’re used to consuming fast.

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As it is our responsibility to do, we recycle the grey water in our facility for gardening. We generate part of our energy from solar power plants. We apply an effective waste-separation procedure and separate our waste very strictly.

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Additionally, we aim to fulfil many other eco-friendly sustainability goals with the support of our conscious guests.

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What does luxury mean to you?

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Luxury is a form of art. It’s a level of service, where each and every member of our team should work as an artist to give our guests the ultimate experience.

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For us, every joyful moment comprises flawless art with the way it appeals to our minds, hearts and souls.

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Art and Joy, both profound heartfelt qualities, are the main pillars of our concept at Lujo Hotel to create a totally unique environment.

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What has working in the luxury market taught you?

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To live and think in a different way. To give a personal touch to the guests instead of mass tourism. To make their holiday an unforgettable experience so that they return.

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To personalise your guest’s holiday, to know them personally, if possible, and adopt their special needs.

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What excites you about the travel industry?

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What’s new. What’s service. Achieving hospitality, adding value to guests and staff.

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What do you value most when you travel?

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A nice, warm welcome. Hotels that make it your home away from home while you’re staying there.  

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How do you make sustainable choices in your work and personal life?

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At the office we separate our waste and we use only the electricity that we need.

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Personally, I separate my waste. When shopping, I try to buy bulk products in order to consume fewer plastics and I don’t buy plastic bags, but always use the same shopping bag.

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In terms of water use, I don’t use it when I don’t really need it. I don’t let it flow when I brush my teeth. I really care about water use because it’s the biggest problem we’re facing.

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I consume vegetables and fruits in their season, and we’re lucky that we can find them fresh in Bodrum’s Bazaar.

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Colleagues who have farms grow their own vegetables and use their biological waste by turning it into compote.

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What is the single most unique offering you provide to travellers?

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Our “A la Carte, All-Inclusive” service with fine dining chef menus.

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