IceTrojan

Heading there in mid-September, hopefully will be able to fill in some gaps in the info, like Diamond recognition, breakfast options, airport transportation, new openings around the hotel, etc.

Got a 6am flight. How much should a taxi run? And hopefully they'll be able to get one that early.

nov11

I stayed there for a night last month. It was really new and modern and I loved the interiors. I was upgraded to a seaview suite without a DSU (or requesting at check-in) ^ Front-office staff were delightful!

The atrium and the lobby is amazing, so are the rooms. Really high quality finishing - probably one of the best, if not the best, Hyatt Regency I've ever been to. I feel like this Hyatt is better than the GH Istanbul which I stayed on the previous night.

Club breakfast was included, but I didn't have one since my flight was at 07:30. It's a short 15-minute taxi ride to the airport - I didn't take the shuttle as it didn't meet my early departure, but it was cheap (maybe around 20-25 TRY?).

Location wise - there is not much around the area. It's far from central Istanbul but it's an amazing "airport" property.

IceTrojan

Thanks for the additional info. I was going to follow the same plan (GH on the first day, HR on the 2nd to get to my 6am flight the following morning).

suite2suite

+1
No special requests, yet upgraded twice.
Really nice property. Very professional staff. Warm welcome.
Large windows as well as in the bathroom for a nice view of the Marmara Sea.
Breakfast in the restaurant is not an option.
RC lounge and restaurant did not offer smoked salmon when we were there.
No eggs (even hard boiled) at the RC.
As to taxi drivers, we found them to be the worst.

meFIRST

There's always a taxi waiting outside.

They sometimes conveniently forget to use the meter

I would say 25-30TR from the hotel to the airport (Attaturk) is the appropriate fare.

If not, UBER works in Istanbul now, as well as other apps.

I was on a rate that had breakfast included. If that's an option the breakfast downstairs is significantly nicer than the RC. Worth it to pay, if that's an option for you, in my honest opinion. The downstairs breakfast resembles more of a Las Vegas style buffet.

The RC breakfast is borderline "sad". The breakfast closes at 10AM I believe, so get there before.

Single_Flyer

I was just at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul and loved the property. It definitely feels more like a resort than most Regency properties.

Definitely worth a visit to the spa -- even if you aren't going to get a treatment you can use the sauna and steam rooms.

There is a lot of construction around the property right now which will be good for opportunities to walk to other restaurants/shops/etc, right now you are kind of stuck on the property unless you take a taxi.

Here is my more full review if you are interested:

http://singleflyer.com/2015/09/02/hy...-hotel-review/

Stewie Mac

Stayed here for a couple of nights this week, upgraded using a DSU.

The good:
It is actually pretty convenient for Asia side meetings; the ferry terminal (Bakirkoy) is about a 15 minute walk, would be around 5 minutes by cab, and then you're 9TL/20 minutes to Kadikoy.
Hard product is nice, someone else on the thread mentioned that it felt more upscale than the GH in Taksim, and that's true. Pool inside/outside area is also nice
With some pre-stay comms, got a Marmara suite, which was very nice, although the blinds (electronic) were a little 'independent'.
Transfer to/from the airport is easy, 10-15 minutes each way, and c 20 TL, although beware of cabs at the airport being unhappy about not going into town and being unhappy (although a 10TL tip cheered him up!)

The not so good:
The club offerings were underwhelming, really just a few nibbles in the evening and only 2 choices of wine (1 red/1 white), both Turkish although quite good apparently. Breakfast was skimpy continental.
Room was HOT. Had a/c in both rooms set to 18C, the lowest setting, but even after 8 hours on high the temperature was still 24C. I should have complained but didn't get around to it.

IceTrojan

That's surprising to hear, when we were there in September, I thought the RC offerings were decently substantial, enough to make a light dinner out of it. In fact, the FD called up to the RC and asked that they hold the food out for 15 minutes longer to give us time to head up there (since our plan was to hit the sack early for a 6am flight the next morning). They also prepped 2 breakfast to-go boxes for our checkout.

I'll have to dig up my photos to make sure I'm remembering correctly.

suite2suite

I agree with Stewie Mac that the offerings fall below what could be expected of a great property such as this one except maybe for the desserts.
However I have to remind myself that it is not supposed to take the place of a complete meal.
When I was there in May and June there were no egg dish for breakfast, not even hard boiled so we ended up having breakfast in the dining room.
Yes the kitchen prepared a breakfast box for us as well and I must say everyone at this property has been most gracious and we always felt very welcome.

blahmeh14

Hi all,

Any thoughts on the quality of this property vs. the Renaissance Polat for a long (21hrs) overnight layover?

I'm a Gold with Marriott, so I would get a full breakfast at the Renaissance plus access to the club. Whereas, I'm only Platinum with Hyatt and would probably have to shell out the 3000 points for club access (+breakfast), or go without . However, the rooms at the Hyatt do look a fair bit nicer than the Renaissance in the pictures I've seen. ^

Rates are within 10 euro of each-other, so I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the two.

Thanks for the help!

akcae

Any recent experiences at this property? Considering it for my 2-day stay in Istanbul, especially liking its proximity to the airport for the early-morning departure.

oziyal

Completed two stays in the last six months. Overall solid property with good service although some issues during both stays (excessive AC noise due to faulty system in one room and no hot water in the shower in the other -- was upgraded as a result both times). Convenient to airport (15 mins by taxi) and old city although getting to other areas of the city would not be ideal given the location of the hotel. Note that Istanbul traffic is an absolute nightmare so if you're doing a lot of sightseeing (including new city) you may wish to stay at the PH in Nisantasi or the GH in Taksim.

akcae

Thanks for the data point! Old City will be our focus so this is good. How is the food in the RC in the morning? Hot options available?

oziyal

Didn't experience the club so can't help there! In general F&B seemed solid so I would assume it delivers.

365RoadWarrior

Any recent updates? In particular, Single_Flyer's great 2015 review mentions construction, but not much in the area. Has that changed? Google Maps suggests that there is a shopping mall or two nearby, not to mention a Popeye's Chicken and an Arby's, sorry I mentioned it.