OMM INN at Eskisehir's Art Crossroads
Eskişehir, a shining city in the Anatolian steppe, around the Porsuk River, with its constantly renewing and human-centered city planning and its young and dynamic population, is one of the destinations that can be reached in a short time, especially for Ankara residents, and where you can spend a weekend full of day and night.
Although we have been there a few times before, we found ourselves in this beautiful city for a weekend getaway to practice traveling during the normalization process. This time, we chose to stay at OMM INN, the hotel of Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM), one of the freshest museums and located at the art crossroads of Eskişehir. The complex, which opened its doors quite recently, is interesting enough to be a reason to visit Eskişehir on its own.
OMM INN is located in the Odunpazarı district of Eskişehir, which has been almost completely restored to its original state, hence the name. The entrance to the hotel is through an Odunpazarı house restored in accordance with the texture of the region. With this first step, you can see that art pervades every corner of this complex. The reception staff, the museum and the hotel staff all wear Dilara Fındıkoğlu's designs, which are inspired by Anatolian motifs. The design and decoration of the hotel also emphasizes the desire to create a space intertwined with art in every detail.
Due to the 2020 pandemic, you can also see the measures taken at the hotel. For example, the pen you use while registering at the reception desk is disinfected and after you use it, it is disinfected again and put in the pen holder. In your room, there is a set of disinfectant, wet wipes and disposable masks. These and similar practices, which are very comforting for people like me, whose obsession level multiplies during this period, make you feel safe from the moment you enter.
The hotel offers 15 rooms in 3 different categories (Deluxe, Premium, Junior Suite) and the rooms are arranged on a single floor. This floor, which allows you to go around and around in the shape of a square and arrive at the same place, is attractive enough to make you want to visit the floor before entering the room with the artifacts on the walls, an OMM-shaped library and sofas where you can mix the book you will take from this library, but at the same time it is so simple.
When you enter the room, your sense of curiosity is triggered again. Because each room is decorated in a way that allows you to spend a peaceful time alone. The daybeds in the rooms, the examples of artworks on the walls, the reading books left in the room and the mini shopping corner with products from the OMM shop invite you to explore the room for a while. Also, if you are a fan of capsule coffees and new generation herbal teas like me, I can guarantee that you will not start the day without lying on the sofa in the room with your hot drink and snacks left with sweet notes. The beauty inside the room is not limited to this; with the products lined up in the bathroom, it is as if you were asked to take care of yourself while refreshing.
Breakfast is included with your stay, and even if you don't stay at OMM INN, you should definitely try it at OMM Cafe, which you will want. With both indoor and outdoor spaces, OMM Cafe serves a menu with a wide range of Mediterranean flavors during the day and Turkish cuisine in the evening. Both the café and restaurant sections are spacious and interesting with their ambiance that makes you want to explore and rummage around like a little kid. Especially the library in the café section and the seating area with an asymmetrical sofa are very interesting. The circular swing in the open area of the restaurant and café and the ergonomic armchair, which can be seen from meters away, seem to create sweet spots for those who like to take photos.
Located in both the museum and the hotel complex, OMM Shop is the first concept store in Eskişehir. You can find a souvenir for yourself among the many products including design decoration, stationery, jewelry, culture-art and design books, and the design clothes of Dilara Fındıkoğlu, who has dressed iconic people such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Madonna in her career, which you can see live on the museum and hotel staff. If you stay at OMM INN, you can even get free entrance to OMM and discounts at the OMM Restaurant and shop during certain periods, like at the time of this writing.
Speaking of OMM INN, it would be remiss not to mention OMM next door. The museum building, which aims to bring modern and contemporary artworks together with those who love and want to discover them, was designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, who also designed the stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. The design aims to 'blend nature and architecture in a way that creates a strong connection between the building and the location'.
OMM won the "International Project of the Year > £1m" award at the 18th Museums + Heritage Awards in the UK and has already made a name for itself internationally, just one year after its opening. I believe that Erol Tabanca, an architect from Eskişehir, who realized such a project, and the current management team, 11 out of 13 of whom are women, which is not common in Turkey, contributed a lot to this success.
If you are looking for a weekend trip, OMM and OMM INN alone will make you go on this trip, and Eskişehir will be waiting for you with options that will not fit into a weekend.
Article: Blogger MiskinMirket https://www.instagram.com/miskinmirket/
