29.01.2025 11:22
The main culprit behind the disaster at Grand Kartal Hotel, Halit Ergül, was once involved in 'pick-up and drop-off' jobs at the hotel. How did he become the owner? Here is the rise story that reminds us of the villain characters in Turkish films that we are all familiar with...
The fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, which claimed the lives of 78 people, has plunged all of Turkey into mourning. While the investigation into the tragedy continues, new details keep emerging. It has been revealed that Halit Ergül, who is shown as the main responsible person for the disaster at the hotel, once worked as a woodcutter and became the 'boss' after marrying the daughter of the hotel owner, who was involved in 'delivery' jobs, and did everything with commercial ambition to establish his own hotel chain.
HE WAS DOING 'DELIVERY' JOBS According to a report by Musa Kesler from Hürriyet; Halit Ergül was born in the village of 'Susuzkınık', which is affiliated with Bolu center. He was an ordinary village child along with his two sisters. After primary and secondary school, he started commuting to Bolu for high school. During the summer months, like many villagers, he worked in woodcutting jobs. Meanwhile, in 1978, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu from Rize built the first hotel named 'Kartal' in Kartalkaya. Local villagers also worked at the hotel. After finishing high school, Ergül started working at this hotel, which was 15 kilometers away from his village, in the early 1980s when he was around 16-17 years old. He was in the accounting department. According to those who remember that period, he was doing 'delivery' jobs. He did not go to university.
Emine Ergül - Mazhar Murtezaoğlu - Halit Ergül HE MARRIED THE BOSS'S DAUGHTER, HIS LIFE CHANGED During this period, he met Emine Murtezaoğlu, the daughter of the hotel owner Mazhar Murtezaoğlu. Their acquaintance turned into an emotional relationship after a while. Then they went to ask for Emine Murtezaoğlu's hand in marriage. Initially, father Mazhar Murtezaoğlu was against this situation. Over time, he softened and consented to the marriage. They got married in 1987. Halit Ergül had become the son-in-law of the hotel he entered as an employee. His brother-in-law Harun Murtezaoğlu had studied in England and was fond of piano and books. He had no commercial ambitions. Halit Ergül, on the other hand, was a sharp and enterprising person. It didn't take long for him to get into the good graces of his dominant character father-in-law. After a while, he became his father-in-law's 'right-hand man'. He was always by his side and close to him. Meanwhile, after his father passed away, he also sold their house in the village.
BUSINESS GREW, THEY OPENED A SECOND HOTEL Business was going well at Kartal Hotel. Mazhar Murtezaoğlu built a second hotel, which was several times larger than this hotel, right next to it. He named it 'Grand Kartal'. This hotel also attracted a lot of interest. Regular guests were there every season. By 2004, father-boss Mazhar Murtezaoğlu transferred his two hotels to his two children. He left Grand Kartal to his daughter Emine and the first hotel Kartal to his son Harun. Now there were two separate companies, two separate hotels. Halit Ergül had become the owner of the hotel where he started in accounting years ago. After this division, the relationship between him and his brother-in-law Harun deteriorated. It never improved again.
WHEN THE FATHER-IN-LAW BECAME UNWELL, HIS PATH OPENED WIDELY In 2007, with Mazhar Murtezaoğlu withdrawing from all business due to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, Halit Ergül's path opened even further. The rivalry and tension between Ergül and his brother-in-law continued. This was more than just the competition between the two hotels 'Grand Kartal' and 'Kartal Hotel'. Lawsuits and complaints continued. This tension was also preventing common decisions from being made regarding the region. Allegedly, Ergül wanted to acquire Kartal Hotel and was pressuring for it. With business going well at Grand Kartal, Ergül built another new hotel named 'Gazelle'. He appointed his son-in-law Emir Aras to manage this place.