Cihan Palas (Emniyet) Hotel

Cihan Palas (Emniyet) Hotel

While in Kordon there are many pompous hotels that belong to Levantine people, Turkish folks had to wait until early 20th century to see similar European style hotels in their neighbourhood, Kemeralti. Cihan Hotel right in front of you is one of the most significant hotels among the latter group.

Built by patron Kulali Cihanzade Huseyin Fehmi Bey in early years of the Republic. Featuring two-storeys over ground floor, this masonry hotel was built using stones and bricks. Ground floor includes facility areas such as the lobby and kitchen, while upper floors include guest rooms and various halls.

Cihan Palas Hotel is an extraordinary building with its architectural design, as well as different adornments in separate parts. Wall and ceiling paintings in this hotel are the only known example among the hotels in the city. These paintings include a city panorama, various nature views, and abstract and decorative compositions.

An advertisement published in a guidebook from 1926 mentions that the hotel provides a total of 50 various rooms, e.g. with hot-cold water taps and family rooms, as well as a coffee house and restaurant serving alcoholic beverages. In addition to accommodation and restaurant services, hotel also offered private safes and vaults, public payphones, and translation services, implying it was a comfortable and prestigious hotel. Its name was changed over time, a guide from 1934 refers to it as Emniyet Hotel.

Hotel premises include an 'L' shaped main building, inner court at the back, and surrounding smaller buildings. Modern appearance of the roof implies it was built later. Today it isn't operated; this precious building is abandoned to its fate, except for the coffee shop at ground floor.

It is hoped that this hotel, where according to claims Ataturk himself stayed during one of his visits to Izmir, shall be redeemed before getting worn further out, and actively reintegrated to city life soon.