Thank you for a very nice review and pictures.

Thanks Goldorak, nice to see another Rixos review. ^

Thank you for the review and the pictures, the lobby looks stunning!

thanks ! yes the lobby is very nice.

The best reviews are usually those that:
1. Are objective, honest, and unbiased
2. Help me decide to book at a hotel or stay away, based on my personal preferences, what I value most, and what I read in the review

As is often the case with [MENTION=225231]Goldorak[/MENTION], this review ticks both boxes so thank you for taking the time to report here with a quality contribution.

I looked at sample dates for my next three stays in Istanbul and I noticed that Sofitel, Rixos, and Fairmont all seem to be in the same price range for the entry level room. Based on this review I concluded that Rixos is probably not for me because from several angles it seems inferior:
- Entry level rooms are much smaller than the spacious ones at Sofitel and Fairmont
- There is no lounge at all, while Sofitel has one for free (Platinum members) or one that you can pay if you want the lounge (Fairmont)
- The hardware is aging, the room is dark, and overall seems behind the curve relative to the stunning Fairmont, and I would assume Sofitel being a new construction that it will be considerably better than Rixos too
- It's only one data point, but no upgrade for Goldorak because the hotel was full... until proven otherwise by other reviews, it seems odds of upgrades are better at a larger hotel which is not likely to be full (Fairmont) or a new hotel which is in its ramp up period and unlikely to be full at least at the beginning (Sofitel).

That plus the noise issue and it kills it for me. Perhaps location is good for some so I could see that being an important consideration for others, but in Istanbul I am more agnostic about location than the majority of folks so Rixos won't be on my list for the time being.

Thanks for the comments Escape 4 ^
Fully agree on all your points. The Sofitel, with its club lounge will be a 1st choice for Platinum members now. And in case the rates are too high, the Mercure Taksim remains excellent value for money. Their Junior suites with large terrace overlooking the Bosphorus river are super.

Thank you for the review Goldorak. This was one property I always wondered about but the road always took me back to the Mercure Taksim.

Agree, with the Sofitel now I am sure most of us are awaiting the first review!

Introduction I stayed at a couple of beach resort-style Rixos hotels last year and generally had a good experience, so this time I wanted to try a city-style Rixos to compare and booked a room at Rixos Pera Istanbul. The elite benefits were not the best in part because they do not have many suites in the hotel, but the service was truly five star and I can recommend it. Room I wanted to use one of my Suite Night Awards because I have many which will expire unused at the end of the year, but unfortunately I found out that Rixos is not an eligible brand for those upgrade certificates. Instead I booked the entry level room and hoped for the best at check-in.Rixos was almost full during my stay and suites were fully booked. The upgrade I received was to a premium room which has a view of the Golden Horn. The room was only 28 sqm, a far cry from the several large suite upgrades I regularly get at many other hotels in the city. The style of the room was very classic to match with the old historical building of the hotel. I liked the hardwood floors (no carpet) and everything was in good condition, but the main negative was that the room was hot – they deactivated the air conditioning due to the summer being over but on sunny days the room would get uncomfortable despite cool weather outdoors (20C) and opening the windows was not helping much unless wind was blowing in the right direction. There were comments about noise issues at this hotel before because of the busy street intersection, and obviously with the windows open the traffic was very audible. However I think the windows were double-glazed so when I closed them the noise was not problematic. Dining The hotel was separated in several buildings and also included many venues that when walking by on the street in the past I had no idea were actually part of the hotel as they have a front door on the street for example an English Pub, a coffee shop, and a courtyard near a chapel with an outdoor bar. All nice charming venues which actually attract several non-hotel guests. The hotel now has a lounge, which similar to Fairmont is pay-for-access. They charge 50 EUR per person for it and includes butler service. There was also a rooftop restaurant where breakfast was served for guests who did not have lounge access. I am not sure Rixos Pera is fully aware of the Accor Diamond benefits – my stay was not during the weekend, it was during the week, so technically I should not have received free breakfast but they told me that I would not have to pay. The venue was wonderful with panoramic views but it was very crowded at the time I went. They had a staff-served buffet which I found to be above average for hotels in this price range – they food was excellent quality and had some options generally not found in competing hotels, instead of limiting themselves to traditional dishes only. Service Service was highly polished and was the strong point of this hotel. First off I received a welcome at reception from the front office manager who was also making the rounds in the restaurant during breakfast to greet guests. He offered me a tour of the different venues of the hotel, and once settled in my room I also received a call from the guest relations supervisor to make sure I was happy with my room. Housekeeping staff were friendly and polite when meeting them the hallways and asked me when I wanted service. When I went to breakfast the first morning the lady at the entrance welcomed me by name as soon as I arrived, without evening telling her my my room number. That means hotel staff must memorize guest names by looking at pictures of guests who checked in, which is only done in the top tier service-oriented hotels. When chatting with staff about my overall impressions of the hotel and the fact that the weak point was not having a suite upgrade which I can get at many other hotels in the city, they acknowledged that they are limited in what they can do because they only have 7 suites. However they said if I come back in a less busy time of year they will do their best to accommodate me and considering how service was during my stay, I don’t doubt that they will. Wifi Wifi worked well with download speed of 45 Mbps however upload could have been better, below 5 Mbps. Overall Overall Rixos Pera is the best fit for people who care most about excellent service and might care less about having a spacious and/or modern room. I found Rixos to be almost the mirror image of Sofitel Taksim nearby where I stayed a couple of days earlier and had a nice modern suite but where service was a work in progress. So it’s nice that Accor loyalists have choices on the entire spectrum.

Thanks Escape4 for the review. It seems you had the same room as me (at least the same category and floor location).
So I understand the lounge is not free for Plat/Diamond members ? if yes, this is a bad move.

Correct, not free unfortunately. At 100 EUR per day extra charge for a couple, I passed. It's hard to make a judgment without having seen it (I will let someone else be the guinea pig) but since my room rate was 100 EUR, for a couple it would basically double the price. In many hotels, having lounge access is not just about food and drinks in the lounge, it's also about having access to more personal service. However at Rixos I already thought the service was excellent without needing the extra perks...

Perhaps they will reconsider the price point in the future and I might pull the trigger then.