L’Union Han Istanbul has opened after a major restoration of a 1911 landmark on Bankalar Caddesi, becoming IHG Hotels & Resorts‘ first Vignette Collection hotel in Istanbul. The historic building, which began life in 1905 and was completed in 1911, now returns as a contemporary hotel that blends heritage architecture with modern hospitality.
The project restores one of central Istanbul’s most recognisable structures, with turquoise tiles, pointed domes and deep eaves preserved as part of the redesign. The hotel also draws on newly uncovered archival material that changed the understanding of the building’s authorship and helped shape the restoration.
The restoration was led by architect Kıymet Aşık Yarkın and Ka Line Mimarlık, while the transformation was driven by hospitality and property entrepreneur Tevfik Nazlı. The hotel’s name, L’Union, is presented as a reference to unity and gathering, reflecting the building’s aim of connecting different periods, cultures and stories under one roof.
Construction on the building started in 1905 for one of the Ottoman Empire’s first insurance companies and finished in 1911. The structure carries traces of the First National Architecture movement, while also bringing together Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences. It sits on Bankalar Caddesi, one of the city’s most historic streets, and has long stood out for its turquoise ceramic tiles and distinctive roofline.
The restoration project began with an unexpected discovery in a second-hand bookshop. A suitcase found there contained hundreds of drawings, letters and photographs from the archive of Italian architect Edoardo De Nari. For years, the building had been attributed only to Giulio Mongeri, but the archive reconnected it with De Nari and added a new layer to its history.
De Nari’s daughter, ballerina Lydia, preserved the papers throughout her life before they later surfaced in the bookshop. A sculpture by Serap Kurtuluş, called Rebel, now stands in the hotel and represents Lydia, the suitcase she carried and the building’s memory. The artwork places that personal story at the centre of the guest experience.
The restoration kept original staircases, timber details and brass finishes, while reinterpreting the exterior tiles inside the property. Sketches from De Nari’s archive also appear in textiles and surface finishes. Documents displayed in public areas trace the building’s different periods, turning the hotel into part accommodation and part living archive.
An installation by Bengisu Yazıcı runs from the third floor upwards, extending the idea of Bankalar Caddesi as a place of trade and movement into the interior. The design aims to connect the street’s commercial history with the hotel’s contemporary use, rather than simply preserving the building as a static monument.
The hotel’s restaurant, Banca Unione, links Turkish and Italian cuisines. The menu, shaped by Solid Consulting Group and culinary concept adviser Chef Tolga Atalay, starts with breakfast and baked goods, continues through the day with coffee and pastry options, then shifts in the evening to a more defined dining experience. The bar concept, designed by Erhan Sağır, combines Italian aperitivo culture with local aromatic flavours.
IHG has positioned the property as the first Vignette Collection hotel in Istanbul, giving the brand a new presence in one of the region’s most competitive hotel markets. Vignette Collection is IHG’s collection brand for independent hotels with distinct identities, and L’Union Han joins that portfolio with a strong emphasis on place, memory and restoration.
The opening adds another heritage-led hotel to Istanbul’s tourism offering at a time when travellers are increasingly looking for properties with a clear sense of story and location. By bringing a 20th-century landmark back into use, the project also gives a new commercial life to a building that once stood as a symbol of the city’s banking district.
For guests, the appeal lies not only in the hotel’s location but in the layers of history built into its walls. From the rediscovered archive to the preserved staircase and the themed restaurant, the property presents itself as a place where architecture, memory and hospitality meet.
