Winter in Kemer...

Hmmm, big changes here.

Of course it's not a real winter: temperature during the day is almost 30°, only the evenings are cooler or even cold.

But it's winter season in tourism, and you can feel it.

A lot of souvenir shops are closed, the others have discount and fix prices.

Some hotels are closing down. That's somehow sad, especially for the last guests. No lights in the lobby, no animation, no music, cold water in the swimming pool and every day left overs on the buffet. These are the main complaints of the guests.

I went to say goodbye to the people at the reception desk or guest relations, to the security personal. Sad situation: most of them will not have a job during winter. And next year: they will work in the same hotel or in another one...

Also our little office in Kemer is deserted: no cleaning woman anymore, less drivers jump in to say hello and the Russian hosts living upstairs all have left.
Peri has left to and of course he has taken away all the pictures and announcements from the walls: it looks sad and empty.
Only Risa and Korhan are still working, but rather quiet.

Today I visited my “new” hotels in Antalya: my goodness, great things. Sheraton Voyager, finally a “real” 5 star hotel, and Hillside Su: every thing in and outside is white. I had to keep on my sunglasses as it was blinking too much.
I hope that I will have good contacts there.

Even our guests have changed: they seem to have I higher economical level, and we have a lot of grandparents with grandchildren. And some are here for a longer period: a couple of weeks or even months, to avoid the cold time at home.

And maybe I have to move to, to the “big city”. But I'm not sure that I want it: here in Kemer it's green and quite. Maybe also a little bit dead. There is defenetively much more to do in Antalya. But it is more chaotic and I don't know if I am already ready for it. But of course it is not like in Istanbul.

You see, I'm a bit nostalgic to the summer, the heat, the work and many guests, my manager and colleagues. But winters here are much shorter than in Europe, so everything will go quickly...