nicolas75

I was intending to stay a this - pleasant - property for a week-end in September or early October but was amazed by the skyrocketing prices.

What's going on at this former Sheraton? Do they believe they are the Four Seasons !?

BEYFlyer

Just got back to Beirut from a 4-day visit to Istanbul and a good stay at the IC Istanbul. Booked a deluxe room and was upgraded to a Club floor room with full access to the lounge (rate was 170 euros per night). Also had free internet access in my room. I really do like the location of this IC; close to so much and a short distance from the metro (for access to other parts of Istanbul).

darby1970

Does anyone know the difference between a Jr. suite and an executive suite at the Istanbul IC ? I have a stay coming up in Nov. and I'm hoping for an RA upgrade to a suite. It sounds like a great hotel .
Is it worth paying more for Executive suite ?
Is club lounge evening fare sufficient for dinner ?

TravellerFrequently

A friend(Amb) has booked a Club city room and it appears that he is being upgraded to a Club "seaview" room.

Is that the standard upgrade for Ambs rather than upgrade to a Taksim Junior Suite? Does anyone have any experience?

Thanks.

f0zzyNUE

i booked the cheapest standard-room and my reservation now shows "king bed club city view" ^

TravellerFrequently

I stayed at this hotel a couple of weeks ago and was pretty impressed. ^

RA amenities and free minibar arranged with no hassles, nice junior suite with Taksim view, good breakfast and evening snacks on Club Floor and generally, very good staff - occasional exception.

One of the better ICs that I have stayed at in recent months.

darby1970

We had a recent weekend stay at the Ceylan . Excellent property. Booked cheapest room on APR and was UG to a Bosphourus Executive Corner Suite with club privileges. The room had 2 seperate baths , living room , 2 TVs, well stocked minibar , huge walkin shower and seperate tub , plenty of closet space. Very comfortable king bed . They also put in rollaway bed for my guest. Very nicely decorated ... floor to ceiling windows overlooling the straits.
Spa , showers and workout facilites were A-1 . Great Turkish Bath . Public areas of the hotel were extremely tasteful , staff friendly and helpful.
Very close to public transportation and vibrant nightlife.
Club lounge was somewhat small , breakfast was standard but we were allowed to eat in the main resturant's morning buffet , which was quite extensive. Afternoon tea was drinks and pasteries . Evening snacks could pass for dinner.
I was also able to book additional room for friends using points ( only 30k /night ). Overall a great , interesting city , and IMHO a good value . I will definitely return when the opportunity arises.
Guest services were very responsive to my pre-stay e-mail requests .

mecabq

Supply and demand? I guess the number of five-star hotels in Istanbul is relatively low given the size and explosive growth of the market. And the IC, while not the Four Seasons, is one of the best hotels in the city.

I believe that if you look at the prices of the IC's peer properties -- W, Grand Hyatt, even Ritz-Carlton in my opinion -- you will find them comparable.

Last time I was there I tried the Holiday Inn Sisli, which is certainly a nice option if you're looking a step or two down from the IC.

nicolas75

I have stayed something like 6 times at IC Istanbul.

It is a solid business hotel with large rooms, friendly service, good lounge and central location. But with dated and terribly kitsch decor and no real atmosphere or charm.

It is definitely not in the same league of properties like Park Hyatt and Four Seasons.

I can perfectly accept to pay EUR 380+ for Amstel, Willard or IC Hong Kong, but certainly not for a former Sheraton, when FS or PH are cheaper!!

No competition in Istanbul??
What about Sumahan on water, Tomtom suites, the House of Nisantansi / Galatasaray, The Sofa Istanbul, A'jia Hotel, Witt Istanbul Suites, Hotel les Ottomans, Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Ibrahim Pasha Hotel?

stimpy

Nicolas, I think you just hit it when there was a big conference on or something. I've never paid anywhere near that much at this IC. And of course as a RA, your experience is going to be a lot better than a non-elite would get at the PH or RC, etc.

mecabq

I didn't say that it was in the league of Park Hyatt at Four Seasons (or the Ciragan Palace); I was careful in listing what I thought were the large chain business hotels that are comparable to it.

With the exception of the Ciragan Palace, the rest of the ones that you have listed are small boutique properties (<20 rooms) and/or not in the business center locations of the city. As non-chains, I don't imagine that they compete all that much with the IC. Plus the number of rooms at all of them put together is much less than the IC. So listing them hardly proves that there is not a relative shortage of quality hotel rooms in the city.

P.S. I wouldn't pay EUR 380 for the IC Ceylan, either, and have paid far less than that in each of my handful of stays there.

Bloobell

I'm checking into the IC Istanbul tomorrow for 4 nights on the Friends and Family rate, which worked out at around £105 per night for a Twin room - fantastic value.

Everything we are doing is in and around Taksim Square so it's extremely convenient for us

africansky

Hi Bloobell, I was thinking of booking IC Istanbul using FF rate as well. Could you please let me know if they gave you any hassles when checking in under FF rate? Thanks!

Bloobell

Will do

nicolas75

Then it must be a huge and long conference / event

Cheapest advance rate (week-end rate) :

5th March : EUR 338
12nd March : EUR 338
19th March : EUR 338
26th March : EUR 338

2nd April : EUR 428
9th April : EUR 428
16th April : EUR 428
23rd April : EUR 428
30thApril : EUR 428

7th May : EUR 428
14th May : EUR 428
21st May : EUR 428
28th May : EUR 428

4th June : EUR 428
11st June : EUR 518

etc.

Competition (5th March stay):

Hilton : EUR 125

Swissotel The Bosphorus : EUR 165

Witt Istanbul Suites : EUR 179

Tomtom Suites : EUR 200

W Istanbul : EUR 248

Park Hyatt : EUR 280

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus : EUR 310

The Ritz-Carlton: EUR 316

Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul : EUR 320

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet : EUR 340