A 115-bedroom luxury museum hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, is to be operated by the Jumeirah Group from 1 May, following the signing of a management agreement with Demsa Group.

First opened in 1892 as a destination hotel for visitors travelling on the Orient Express train, Pera Palace Hotel will be rebranded as Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah as a result of the deal.

Turkey's Ministry of Culture has registered the property's Room 101 as a museum, having been the preferred room in which the country's modern founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, would stay.

Facilities include the 380sq m (4,090sq ft) Pera Spa, which is a traditional Turkish hammam with heated marble platform and foam bath. Its roots date back as far as the Roman Empire.

Three private treatment rooms, a steamroom, a whirlpool, a sauna and a fitness suite also form part of the spa area, while the hotel also offers an indoor jet-streamed swimming pool and a number of dining options.

Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah is part of the United Arab Emirates-based operator's expansion strategy, which will see its portfolio more than double between early 2011 and late 2012.

Jumeirah, which has recently taken over a Rome hotel in Italy and is due to open a property in Mallorca, Spain, will also nearly quadruple the number of countries in which it has a presence.

A spokesperson said: "The room where Atatürk preferred to stay - Room 101 - has been registered as a museum by the Ministry of Culture.

"Visitors can see some of his personal belongings and many artefacts dating back to his visits to the hotel from 1917 until his death in 1938."

Details: www.perapalace.com