A clairvoyant told researchers in 1979 to check room 411 of the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul for the key to Agatha Christie’s mysterious 10-day disappearance in 1929. Warner Brothers was making a movie about the famed mystery writer and hoped the renowned medium Tamara Rand could shed some light on what had happened during those lost days.
Christie had frequently stayed in that room between 1926 and 1932, so Rand’s directive was not surprising. What was surprising was that a rusty eight-centimetre long key was found hidden behind the skirting of the door.
Unfortunately, before the mystery of what it unlocked could be solved, the key disappeared, compounding the mystery even further. It is rumoured that Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express in that room, and the hotel obviously influenced the whodunit.
As the eastern-most stop of the famed Orient Express luxury locomotive, Istanbul needed a hotel suitably elegant for the train’s elite passengers. The Pera Palace, which was completed in 1895, satisfied this need and hosted glamorous visitors from all over the world. Amongst other achievements, it was the first building, other than the Ottoman Palaces, in Turkey to be powered by electricity and to provide hot running water for its guests.
When they arrived at the train station, guests were literally carried to the hotel; the soft green sedan chair once used to transport The Pera Palace’s patrons is now on display near its entrance. The hotel also featured the first electric elevator in Istanbul, the second in all of Europe. Today, when guests are first escorted to their rooms, they are taken to their floor in the original, ornate wrought iron and wood “bird cage” elevator, just as kings, queens, heads of state, artists, writers, entertainers and other guests once were.
Among the VIPs who have ridden in this elevator are Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor Franz Joseph, Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo, Alfred Hitchcock, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Ernest Hemingway was often seen in the Orient Bar with a whisky in his hand and supposedly many spies, including the likes of Mata Hari, stayed here during World War II, creating the infinite possibility that vital secrets have been exchanged within the halls and rooms of the iconic property over the ages.
Perhaps the most important guest in Turkish history was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern-day Turkey. He first stayed at the hotel in 1917 and returned frequently, especially when his own home was under surveillance. To celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, his former favourite room, number 101, was converted into a museum.
Decorated in sunrise pink, Ataturk’s hue of choice, the museum displays many of his own personal effects and is now open to the public. Zsa Zsa Gabor wrote in her diary that she had an affair with Ataturk in the Pera Palace. More recently, the VIP guest roster has included Ben Affleck and Kristen Dunst, as well as Terry Gilliam, the director of The Fisher King.
After a century as the place in Istanbul to see and be seen, the historic landmark was in need of extensive restoration and renovation. In 2008 it was closed for a two-and-a-half year, EUR 23 million (US$33.5m) restoration to bring it back to its former glory. Great care was taken to preserve the cultural heritage of the listed building, and photographs from the past were used to direct the project.
The neo-classical, art nouveau structure, typical of the grand architecture of its time, was designed by Alexander Vallaury around a huge central atrium known as the Kubbeli Saloon. The walls appear to be constructed of the finest of marbles, even upon close examination. In reality, they are covered with hand-made wallpaper designed to fool the naked eye.
Rooms on the floors above are accessed by open hallways overlooking the grand open space below, with the six glass domes above. During the restoration, it was noticed that the colours of the wallpapers on an area that was once used for storage in the kitchen were different from those on the other walls. Further investigation revealed that it was not a wall at all, but rather a door that had been covered and forgotten. Behind the door, a cache of 6,000 pieces of silver was discovered, much of it still in the original packaging from Christofle.
Further investigation revealed that the Pera Palace had made two orders from the famous silver company, one at the opening of the hotel and the second in the 1950s. Some of the pieces of cutlery are now used for the hotel’s traditional English afternoon tea, served in the Kubbeli Saloon Tea Lounge, while other pieces are on display throughout the hotel.
The Pera Palace reopened on September 1, 2010, retaining the splendour of its origins, but enhanced by a century of progress. Many of the same paintings and furnishings visible in old photographs of the hotel (on display throughout) are still in use today.
The rooms evoke the refined essence of the 19th century, with stunning views from balconies overlooking the Golden Horn – the historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city between Asia and Europe – antique furnishings such as ornate wardrobes and tables from the original hotel, supplemented by indistinguishable reproductions and Murano chandeliers.
Yet each room also features the ultimate in modern technology, amenities and more. Elegant clawed slipper bathtubs are enclosed in clear glass, giving the spacious bathrooms, which also feature heated Italian Carrara marble, the feel of the past with the comforts of today.
One new post-renovation addition to the hotel is the Pera Spa, which includes a traditional Turkish hammam and features signature treatments named after famous guests, and incorporating Swiss-made After the Rain spa treatments and products.
Since its opening, Pera Palace has maintained a reputation as a gastronomic hotspot in Istanbul. In addition to the Orient Bar and Kubbeli Saloon, the Art Nouveau Patisserie de Pera, with its own chocolatier, offers a variety of sweet treats. The Agatha Restaurant pays tribute to the three major stops of the former Orient Express – Paris, Venice and Istanbul – with a menu that blends French, Italian and Turkish flavours and dishes.
Known as the ‘Pearl of Istanbul’, the Pera Palace has returned to its former glory with the same elegance and intrigue long associated with one of Europe’s most captivating cities.
THE MAKING OF A LEGEND
1892 - Work on Pera Palace Hotel begins.
1895 - Opening ball of the Pera Palace.
1895-1915 - During the 20 years between its opening and World War 1, Pera Palace is the toast of the international and local social scene.
1917 - Leader and founder of Turkey, Atatürk becomes a regular guest.
1926-1932 - Writer Agatha Christie stays numerous times during this period.
1934 - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is published and Pera Palace Hotel is the main inspiration for the book.
1940-1944 - International spies Cicero and Mata Hari dine together at the Pera Palace, where they are regular guests.
2008 - The EUR 23m (US$33.5m) restoration of the Pera Palace begins.
2010 - Pera Palace Hotel reopens in September during Istanbul’s year as the European Capital of Culture.