Old Town Point Hotel & Spa, located in the center of Antalya, closed 2025 with a strong performance marked by high occupancy rates and a balanced guest profile. We spoke with co-founder Ömer Günay about the hotel’s 2025 performance, the growth in European, Balkan, and Gulf markets, increasing tourism activity in the city center, and the hotel’s 2026 plans focusing on digital projects and new experience-based models, including offering its own tours.
For Old Town Point Hotel & Spa, 2025 was a very strong year. The hotel’s annual average occupancy rate ranged between 82% and 88%. The highest occupancy was recorded during May and June, driven by cultural tourism and event calendars; July and August, supported by leisure tourism; and September and October, led by congress and business tourism. During the low season months of December, January, and February, demand increased compared to the previous year, particularly through weekend city breaks.
Compared to 2024, occupancy in 2025 showed a more balanced distribution throughout the year. Higher prices were applied during peak seasons, while strong occupancy levels were also achieved during the low season.
One of the most decisive trends of 2025 was the intensification of event and festival calendars, which significantly benefited city hotels. Additionally, the blending of business and leisure travel let to a more stable balance between weekday and weekend occupancy.
In 2025, leisure-oriented guests represented approximately 55% of the hotel’s total guest profile, with Europe being the largest source market. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France stood out as the leading countries. Emerging markets included Balkan countries and young travelers from the Middle East.
Business travelers accounted for around 35% of guests, primarily visiting for conferences, meetings, and short business trips. There was also a noticeable increase in hybrid professionals combining work with short leisure stays. Long-term stays accounted for approximately 10% of total bookings.
Among the fastest-growing new markets for Old Town Point Hotel & Spa in 2025 were Gulf countries, particularly young couples and families. Additionally, there was a notable increase in guests from Central European countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Hungary.
The year 2025 stood out as a period shaped by several defining operational trends for Old Town Point Hotel & Spa. Five core themes emerged: digitalization and personalization, experience-oriented travel, environmental, social, and governance sustainability, the rise of solo travel, and dynamic pricing in revenue management.
Guests increasingly demanded not only accommodation but also “micro-experiences.” Sustainability efforts were supported through water and energy-saving solutions, eco-friendly room products, and a stronger focus on local suppliers. Guests placed growing importance on sustainability ratings.
In revenue management, dynamic pricing strategies that respond quickly to demand fluctuations were applied, with increased focus on balancing online travel agency channels and direct bookings. Overall, 2025 was a successful year characterized by strong demand, a balanced guest profile, and emerging new segments. The transition into 2026 signals a shift toward a more experiential, digital, and younger guest base.
In the first eleven months of 2025, Antalya welcomed 16,795,032 tourists, with expectations to exceed 17 million by year-end. While Russia and Germany remained strong source markets, growth was observed from the United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, and Lithuania. Additionally, demand remained high beyond the summer season, extending into late autumn and early winter.
These developments demonstrate that Antalya has evolved into a year-round destination rather than a purely summer-focused holiday spot. For boutique city hotels and small accommodations in the historic city center, such as Kaleiçi, this growth translated into increased foot traffic, vibrant street life, growth in dining and retail activity, and stronger year-round demand.
For Old Town Point Hotel & Spa, 2025 positively impacted demand, guest behavior, and room revenue. Occupancy rates rose noticeably even during the off-season compared to 2024. Tourists seeking short stays focused on city tourism and cultural exploration became more prominent.
Market diversification reduced dependency on a single source market and contributed to more balanced demand. Average daily rate stability was maintained, and in many cases increased, supported by strong summer demand and sustained occupancy during traditionally slower periods.
As tourism shifted toward historic city centers and guest behavior became increasingly experience-driven, hotels began evolving into providers of accommodation combined with destination management. In this context, the launch of Best Booking Travel Agency represents a strategic move to manage the entire guest journey.
Rather than relying on third-party agencies offering standardized tours, the hotel now designs and manages its own experiences, ensuring consistency with brand standards. This includes personalized city tours, Kaleiçi walking routes, gastronomy and coffee experiences, yacht tours, airport transfers, and themed tours focused on photography, history, and architecture.
This model diversifies revenue streams, strengthens brand value, improves guest satisfaction, and supports direct bookings. Guests increasingly seek authentic, less crowded, and personalized experiences—demands that large tour operators often cannot meet.
Increasing the average length of stay is a key objective for Old Town Point Hotel. The goal is to transform the hotel into a city and cultural brand that produces experiences, keeps guests engaged longer, and integrates digital marketing with tour offerings.
The growing demand for Antalya’s historic center, increasing market diversity, and the investment in Best Booking Travel Agency have established a strong foundation for 2026. The strategy for the coming year is built around four pillars: new markets and segment strategies, digital marketing and direct booking growth, expansion of agency integration, and product, service, and experience development.
By the end of 2026, Old Town Point Hotel aims to reach an occupancy rate of 86–90%, achieve a 12% increase in average daily rate, increase the share of tours and experiences in total revenue from 15% to 22%, raise direct booking rates to 40%, expand into five new markets, and improve guest satisfaction scores from 8.2 to 8.5.
Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond a traditional accommodation model and position Old Town Point Hotel as the center of experience, culture, and boutique hospitality in Antalya’s Kaleiçi district—offering not just rooms, but the city itself as an experience.