Growing with TUI BLUE: Fahri Karayılan reflects on 10 Years
Growing with TUI BLUE: Fahri Karayılan reflects on 10 Years
As Executive Chef at TUI BLUE Sarigerme Park, Fahri Karayılan has been part of the TUI BLUE story from the very beginning. As the brand celebrates its 10th anniversary, he looks back on unforgettable moments, special guest interactions and the team spirit that continues to define TUI BLUE today.
When Fahri Karayılan learned in 2015 that his hotel would become the world’s first TUI BLUE hotel, excitement quickly spread throughout the team. Preparations gathered pace and everyone eagerly looked forward to the opening. “It felt like preparing for the arrival of a newborn child,” he recalls. The atmosphere leading up to the launch in 2016 remains one of his strongest memories. “It felt as if we had entered the Champions League of hospitality.”
Over the years, it has been the personal moments with guests that have stayed with him the most. Whether it’s a vegan cookery class – which he organised for the first time together with guests – two marriage proposals in a single day, or guests who brought him spices from Germany to help him discover new flavours – for Fahri, it is precisely these moments that define TUI BLUE.
The strong sense of teamwork is equally important. Colleagues support one another whenever challenges arise, and Fahri is particularly proud of how many returning guests are welcomed back by staff who remember not only their names but even their favourite dishes.
Looking back, Fahri is especially proud to have been part of the world’s first TUI BLUE hotel and to have witnessed the brand’s remarkable growth over the past decade.
His message for the anniversary:
