The Ottoman Empire's first attempt to establish hotels in İstanbul: The Ottoman Imperial Hotels Company

• 19th century İstanbul lacked facilities for its influx of European visitors.
• The Sultan granted James Masserie a charter to establish a company to build hotels.
• Despite several attempts, The Ottoman Imperial Hotels Company was unsuccessful.
• Examines the archival company charter, travel guides, and public letters.
• Despite reforms, Eastern capital focused on profit from government business.

The number of travellers from Europe to Turkey, and especially İstanbul, increased dramatically as travel conditions improved pursuant to the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. However, the capital city of the Ottoman Empire was not equipped with adequate accommodations to host these visitors. Therefore, they had to take some measures to deal with this problem. This study gives an account of the Ottoman Imperial Court's first attempt to establish modern hotels to meet the needs to accommodate the growing number of visitors to İstanbul. This study provides the first examination of the imperial edict authorizing the establishment of the Ottoman Imperial Hotel Company and the construction of a hotel, the earliest documents related to this issue.