tomsam

Thanks for the detailed review fjfv19. I will be staying there in April. Looking forward to it.

slocouple

We'll be there April 3,4,5,6 and 21. How about a mini meetup?

tomsam

Would enjoy that. Unfortunately our only overlapping day is Apr 3rd - we leave that day, so the viability of meeting up would depend on when you arrive. Let's discuss over PM?

nabeelj

I'm there Apr 3rd to 6th as well

And visiting the central coast of California in Jun/Jul, so maybe slocouple can give me some tips

slocouple

Sent you a PM -- hope we can meet up. We have lots of Central Coast tips.

tomsam

Just completed a great stay the the Grand Hyatt Istanbul. We had booked a 3 day award stay, and though I'm a lowly Platinum, they upgraded me to a room on the club floor and gave us (family of 4) access to the lounge including free breakfast.

Hotel is located in a nice area in Taksim. Took us about 30 minutes to get to the Old City by public transportation. Breakfast at the lounge was good (cold buffet with some hot items that you could order such as eggs, meats, etc.). Used Istanbul Airport Transfer for easy transportation to/from the airport. Booked online and paid the driver.

willski

Seems the reviews are generally positive.

Booked a 4 night stay in early June, first time to Turkey so looking forward to it

Kurosawa22

Seeing as how the Grand Hyatt Istanbul is RIGHT NEXT to Gezi Park where the tear gas was fired at protesters and all the riots started...can anyone comment on the state of things as of now? I have a reservation here for several days in September. Just hopeful that things are getting back to normal, for the most part.

IggySD

I've been here the last two nights and the atmosphere has been VERY different. First of all, none of the hotels in the area (the Intercontinental is very close) seem to have been physically affected by the riots at all. There were barricades in the streets in front and graffiti and burned out vehicles as well but nothing that I could detect to the hotels.

Yesterday the atmosphere was pretty festive. The protesters were quite friendly and there were folks in Taksim selling t-shirts, flags, delicious sandwiches. I wrote a comment in the Istanbul thread indicating that there was no reason not to come.

This morning things got a bit different. I was walking around Taksim and it just seemed much more tense. Then the riot police showed up and I heard the first shot of tear gas. I went to the Old City for the day where everything is what I assume is normal. Just very crowded. Got back here around 1630 in the evening and it was evident that things had changed. The road blocks had been cleared, the burned out vehicles were being towed and there was a good bit of smoke. The tents in Gezi are still up however. Over the course of the next two hours I heard several shots of tear gas and could watch from my window as protesters in gas masks lobbed the canisters either back at the police or down into a construction zone where it wouldn't harm anyone. I opened up my window for a few pictures and could smell the tear gas at one point (it really does sting).

All that being said, the hotel seems to not be too concerned. When I went out again at around 1000 this morning they just checked to make sure I wasn't headed towards Taksim, I assume they were gong to warn me if I had said yes. But even during the evening disturbances there were a bunch of people out at the pool who just kept on swimming or sun bathing despite being about 50 feet away from the protesters.

If I were headed to Istanbul again I wouldn't hesitate to book this hotel. You can get down to the tram with a 5 minute walk and avoid Taksim altogether. The return is an uphill walk though and good luck getting a taxi to bring you here. Aside from the square itself I haven't noticed anything except perhaps a larger than usual police force guarding some of the sites / monuments.

But between now and September anything could happen. Things could stay the same, the protesters could give up, Erdogan could back down or it could degenerate. As of now though, no reason IMO not to stay here.

As for the hotel itself, it's very nice. I spent one night at the Conrad in order to get the teddy bear (and that was an effort) and then moved here. There's really no comparison between the two. Great spread in the evening in the Exec lounge here, bigger room, slightly better location for public transport (I suppose if the Taksim Metro stop were actually usable then this place would win easy). Haven't stayed at the Park so can't compare the two but I really have no complaints about this property.

tinnub

Thanks for the posts IggySD, we are scheduled to arrive June 22 and it seems dicey to stay at Hyatt. Please keep updating and do you know if private transport from IST to hotel would be beneficial?

IggySD

The problem isn't so much that the taxi drivers won't come here, it's that they can't. A lot of the roads around Taksim have been barricaded so there's no access except on foot. Private transport would probably be able to keep you updated as to whether they could make it or not but a call to the hotel would probably do the same. A lot of the barricades had been removed this afternoon so a taxi probably could make it here again as of now.

I suspect you'll be able to make a comfortable decision in the next few days. Things have definitely escalated as of tonight, there are at least 5 times as many protesters out tonight as there were last night (I'd guess closer to 10x if not more). I think sending in the riot police this morning was a tipping point where things are either going to resolve peacefully or escalate to where you probably would want to book your stay elsewhere.

tinnub

Whew! Just saw CNN and looks like a war zone, stay safe IggySD, may stay in Old Town, assuming problems don't spread.

tripaddict

Park Hyatt vs Grand Hyatt Istanbul

Heading to Istanbul with my wife at the end of October and I have 4 nights booked at the PH Istanbul. I booked PH because I've really enjoyed checking out other PH properties (Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Paris, Beaver Creek). However, I'm wondering if this is more like the stuffy PH Mendoza.

For a personal trip that time of year would it be better to book the GH? I'd save 12k points, but the bigger question is which property would be more enjoyable (location, amenities)? I'm currently a Platinum.

Stewie Mac

I posted somewhere (found it here, just back a couple of pages) that for a business stay, or with buddies, I'd stay at the Grand. With my wife, I'd stay at the Park.... of the PHs you mention, I've only been to PHV, and the PHI is certainly similar to that in feel.

Although I actually prefer the PH Istanbul....

thegrailer

I've browsed through this thread and might have missed it but what is the suite upgrade? The Grand suite? The Grand Executive? Is it worth the upgrade?

I am currently booked on a points stay at the Hilton a block or so away and in two previous stays, I've received outstanding treatment at this hotel (HH Diamond might be the reason?). I've also stayed at the PH IST - wonderful but too expensive for this trip (a short raki and food trip ). The Rad Blu in Ortakoy was nice too but not where I want to be this time. The Grand is right in the price point window and in the area I want to be for my two nights. Plus, I have one upgrade left for the year that would otherwise go to waste. yea or nay?

Cheers -