ANTALYA, TURKEY The 546-key Mardan Palace, which opened last year as the most expensive resort ever built in Europe at a cost of US$1.4 billion, is currently operating on electrical generators after the local power company cut service over unpaid bills.
Mardan Palace owes about US$3 million in unpaid bills to power company Akedas, and the opulent resort has been given three weeks to pay up before legal proceedings are initiated to seize the hotel, Turkish newspaper Takvim reports. A hotel manager has confirmed that the property is being powered by generators but declined to give further details.
The resort accrues utility costs of about US$300,000 per month, Takvim reports. Mardan Palace boasts the Mediterranean’s largest swimming pool and 10 restaurants. It is scheduled to build a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course next year.
Hotel General Manager Cumhur Lopez downplays the significance of the outstanding bills, saying the resort had been waiting for the end of the year to balance its expenses. “These are natural processes. We are a big company.”