Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus - my 2nd Hilton stay, my 2nd Conrad stay, and my 1st stay as a newly-minted Diamond member. Sure, I didn't get a suite upgrade as I might at Marriott properties as an Ambassador, but I did really appreciate the service attitudes and most of the aspects of the hard product (though, it's definitely old-fashioned). Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Neutral Note on Upgrades:

• Upgraded 72 hours prior from a base King room to a King Executive Bosphorus room - I asked about suites at check-in as I had noticed Park Suites online the night before - the agent mentioned something about Partial Bosphorus View, but I'm pretty sure she said "room" and not "suite", which would have been a downgrade from the pre-upgrade - perhaps, I misheard - she told me that the room I was in was what I would like, which is fine, I guess - I didn't check online in the moment as it doesn't matter that much to me for one night

Pros:

• The styling in the room is traditional, but I found it pleasant
• The desk chair and small green chair were both comfortable
• Bed was comfortable - covers of good thickness (not too thin, not too thick), just-right / slightly-plush mattress, plush pillows
• Shower pressure from the wand head was quite nice, and despite the non-circular arrangement of the water holes, I found this completely good for a comfortable shower when placed in the higher holder
• The view of the Bosphorus was nice - fun to watch ships
• Brought a nice gift of nuts, juices, and chocolates (I had one of the chocolates, and it was some kind of divine coffee truffle)
• The Executive Lounge offering was very nice
  • The service here rivaled that of Grosvenor House in Dubai - I could barely take a sip of any beverage without my glass being refilled
  • Gulbarhar (I'm sure I'm butchering the spelling), the Lounge Manager, was super thorough and always refilling my water and asking if I needed anything
  • Really delicious afternoon tea desserts with some delicious caramel sauce
  • Mac and cheese at evening service was really tasty
• Breakfast is either in the restaurant or Executive Lounge (they are next to each other) for Diamonds
  • The restaurant staff seemed to think that it was "my first day" and it's not included - I think they thought I had just checked in that morning, but they let me in "as I was a Diamond" - no billing issues at check-out - I think this might have been a misunderstanding on my part - no reason to think Diamonds are limited to the lounge when Golds would get the restaurant
  • Definitely more choices in the restaurant (I did look at the lounge) - especially the omelet station - but it did seem like finding a clean table was a bit hard for some parties after I had sat down
  • Omelet was tasty, and I liked the flatbread and marble cake
  • Lounge would definitely be more calm - only a few folks in there - but no omelets
• I asked about late checkout, and when I said 2 PM, they gave it to me with no issue or extra checking of their computers
• Front desk service at check-out was very friendly - lots of conversation about my travels
• EUR-TRY exchange rate used was very fair
• Bell staff was very friendly - remembered me across both days, asked about my travel habits, etc.
• Working 115 V shaver charger in the bathroom - my toothbrush was so excited

Cons:

• Noise isolation from the hallway was not great, and housekeepers started vacuuming around 9 AM
• U-shape of the building means the Bosphorus view rooms on my end of the building look into other rooms as well as the window for the elevator lobby
• No washcloths (Hilton Bomonti has these)

Overall, I would recommend the Conrad, especially if you like traditional hotels.

Photos: