OMM INN, a new boutique hotel on the site of a major new art museum, the Odunpazari Modern Museum (OMM), has opened for business. Located in Odunpazari, the historic heart of the Eskişehir district in northwest Turkey, the hotel and new museum together form an attractive cultural destination for art and design lovers. Created to help financially support the museum, the traditional building has been renovated with interiors designed by Polimeks Holding, a major construction and architectural firm.
The hotel’s design puts a contemporary twist on the Ottoman residential architecture that is synonymous with the town of Odunpazari and echoes the stacked timber structure of the adjoining museum designed by world- renowned architects Kengo Kuma and Associates. Built partly inside an Ottoman-era Odunpazari home, sophisticated simplicity and attention to detail are at the core of OMM INN, with 12 custom designed rooms and an open courtyard boasting a range of eateries offering curated menus for hotel guests and museum visitors.
Stay
The rooms combine a sleek aesthetic with world-renowned Turkish hospitality, with modernist details and natural materials providing chic and sustainable comfort. With the atmosphere of an airy studio apartment, each of the 12 individual suites comes with a flat-screen TV, high-speed wi-fi, coffee and a carefully curated selection of books. The cosy, lifestyle-oriented layout is designed to make guests feel instantly at home.
Drink & Dine
Arranged around a beautiful inner courtyard, the hotel offers a smorgasbord of dining experiences showcasing the new generation of Turkish cuisine. OMM INN Restaurant functions as a brick oven pizzeria during the day and turns into a Mediterranean meze restaurant by night, serving classic cocktails, a selection of Turkish wine and traditional raki. For a contemporary alternative, the Vegetarian Kitchen is the first of its kind in the city, catering to museum visitors with adventurous flavours and fresh ingredients.
For casual eats throughout the day, a range of street food stations serve up local tastes of kumpir (baked and stuffed potatoes), meatballs and homemade mac & cheese. Perfect for a tea-break, OMM INN Cafe offers classic refreshments in a quirky design space, with flaky pastries and high-quality Turkish coffee from independent suppliers served in copper pots. The cafe is also home to a small library that carries design books, magazines and graphic fiction.
Explore
OMM INN is the perfect base from which to explore the striking new museum, home to a 1,000 piece collection of modern and contemporary art, and the surrounding town of Odunpazari with its well-preserved Ottoman architecture, narrow meandering streets and an array of artisan shops and local restaurants.
Odunpazari, which was nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List, is widely considered the historic heart of Eskişehir, a vibrant university city. Situated on the high-speed train line between Istanbul and Ankara, Eskişehir is popular with tourists and day-trippers from Istanbul thanks to its numerous museums spanning archaeology to aviation, two city parks, vibrant student population and the scenic Porsuk river that has earned it the name ‘the Venice of Turkey’.
