Since a young age, Orcun Turkay knew he would work in the hotel industry. But he didn’t want to be just anyone; he wanted to be at the top.
Growing up in Turkey, Turkay and his family went on vacations to Marmaris, a beautiful resort city on the Turkish Riviera, also called the Turquoise Coast. The holidays weren’t just getaways though. Turkay’s brother worked in various hotels there, so the family would visit him while also relaxing.
“We would go on vacation and stay at the hotels he was working in, and I was like, ‘Man, this is a lot of fun. I think I want to be in this,’” Turkay says. “So that’s what drove me.”
When high school rolled around, Turkay decided to attend a specialized school that focused on tourism and hotel management. He was able to take his typical classes while also learning specific skills in his dream field.
He started out as a busser, and through hard work and taking on every opportunity, Turkay continued to move up the ladder. Today, Turkay is the general manager for the new AC Marriott Hotel in Bridge Park, a position he had his eye on for some time.
Getting to the Top
The journey to GM was not an easy task for Turkay, but it was a fun one.
While attending college in Turkey, Turkay took multiple opportunities to travel to the U.S.; a thrilling experience where he worked in hotels while also sightseeing with his colleagues.
“A couple of my friends had experienced the program in the U.S., and they were like, ‘It’s amazing, it will help you further your career,’” Turkay says. “It helped me see how the operation was in the U.S., it helped me with my English and so many other things. It was an amazing, amazing experience.”
Participating in two work-travel programs in college, Turkay realized his future was in the U.S. So, he gathered his things and said goodbye to Turkey.
Since the mid-2000s, Turkay has worked for Hilton, W Hotels, Westin and St. Regis. While working as the director of food and beverage for a Marriott in Buffalo, New York, Turkay got the promotion to manage the Dublin hotel.
“This is what I was working toward my entire life, and my mom reminds of that,” Turkay says. “She said, ‘When you were going to high school, the first day you told me you want to be a GM.’ My family was the biggest supporter.”
Being the Boss
Turkay moved to Dublin in fall 2016, and immediately got to work. He contributed to the hotel’s contemporary design, helped hire and train the staff, and now oversees just about everything at the AC.
His primary concern: making sure his employees are happy, thus creating a standout hotel.
“What makes a difference in our hotel is our staff,” says Turkay. “We have an extremely accommodating, hospitable, friendly and professional staff. … My priorities are my employees. I take care of them, and they take care of my guests. That’s how I work.”
Turkay also enjoys making sure the rooftop bar is in tip-top shape. Vaso, a Spanish tapas bar overlooking Historic Dublin and the Scioto River, is the gem of the hotel. From an operational standpoint, Turkay helped bring the sleek bar, modern décor and large patio to life for a wow-factor venue.
“Rumor has it this is the best rooftop bar amongst all the AC hotels in the company,” says Turkay. “What we did here is something special, so I’m very proud of that. And obviously I didn’t do it myself. I had an amazing team.”
Making Central Ohio Home
Having lived near the hotel during the construction period, Turkay now lives in Hilliard with his wife, Heather – who also works in the hotel industry – and their 4-year-old daughter. The family often tries local restaurants and visits parks within the Dublin community.
His favorite part about working in Dublin is experiencing the tremendous growth.
“Dublin is a cool place. I really like Dublin,” says Turkay. “I think being in the development of Bridge Park, having everything around the hotel plus having worked with some of the best people I have ever worked with in my career, is my favorite part about being the GM.”
Turkay adds that Heather has been a huge supporter, which allowed him to open the hotel smoothly by working long hours.
With his new job comes bigger and more exciting opportunities. Turkay says the hotel is always thinking of ways to better the guest experience, but in the end, it’s all about representing Dublin and Columbus in an accurate and respectful light.
“What we do here is something that we’re very proud of, and we hope is a value for the city,” he says. “We’re not just an establishment of ourselves, but we’re representative of Dublin, we’re representative of Columbus. And anything that we do, we always keep that in mind.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.