Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Istanbul, Turkey
Aug 27, 2011, 9:32 pm
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Greener Pastures
Posts: 10,515
Booked here for a trip in January 2012 - will report back with a trip report...
Just curious about the location vs. the Ritz in the commentary above...on TripAdvisor, it would appear that the Ritz has a less desireable location? I plan on doing 4 days of tourist type activities & the prices were more reasonable at the Edition over the Ritz - so was planning on going. Also, the Edition was the #3 hotel on TripAdvisor.
Any other feedback on location? I'm assuming it's better than the Renaissance (which also looks great) and much better for tourist activities than the Marriott on the Asian side?
Just curious about the location vs. the Ritz in the commentary above...on TripAdvisor, it would appear that the Ritz has a less desireable location? I plan on doing 4 days of tourist type activities & the prices were more reasonable at the Edition over the Ritz - so was planning on going. Also, the Edition was the #3 hotel on TripAdvisor.
Any other feedback on location? I'm assuming it's better than the Renaissance (which also looks great) and much better for tourist activities than the Marriott on the Asian side?
Jan 14, 2012, 6:35 pm
#62
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
I just completed 2 separate stays at Istanbul Edition - fantastic hotel. Amazing rooms, Some of the best service I have ever encountered, but priced $$$$ to match.
It is located next to the Levent Metro station - very convenient for business-related destinations, but quite a distance from the tourist areas. You would have to take Metro (Levent -> Taksim), Funicular (Taksim-> Kabatas) and Tram (Kabatas->Sultanhamet) to reach the tourist sites. Traffic into/out of Sultanhamet is just a nightmare and not recommended.
There is no complementary breakfast at Istanbul Edition and the food prices are sky-high - US$20 for cup of potato/leek soup!
There is a 3-story spa with an amazing gym/pool/spa - definitely try the Hammam if you are there - a 60-minute hammam treatment will cost you 250TRY.
It is located next to the Levent Metro station - very convenient for business-related destinations, but quite a distance from the tourist areas. You would have to take Metro (Levent -> Taksim), Funicular (Taksim-> Kabatas) and Tram (Kabatas->Sultanhamet) to reach the tourist sites. Traffic into/out of Sultanhamet is just a nightmare and not recommended.
There is no complementary breakfast at Istanbul Edition and the food prices are sky-high - US$20 for cup of potato/leek soup!
There is a 3-story spa with an amazing gym/pool/spa - definitely try the Hammam if you are there - a 60-minute hammam treatment will cost you 250TRY.
Considering that at the time you posted there were only two Edition hotels, I'm a little confused by your post.
Jan 15, 2012, 6:30 pm
#63
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
I recently complete a 3 nights stay (Jan 2-5) Here are my thoughts:
The hotel is modern and chic. Although, it doesn't have that COOL factor you find at W Hotels. The hotel is located far away from any places of interest unless you travel to visit shopping centres. There are two located directly across the street. Then again so is a cemetery which is not very well-kept.
I was not offered a Platinum amenity nor was my status acknowledged.
My deluxe room was very beautiful totally finished with cherry wood walls and ceiling. Flat panel B&O TV, everything was touch control including the drapes & lights. Plenty of closet space with safe. Very comfortable large "U" shaped couch in the sitting area. The bathroom was stunning. It had a separate rain shower and separate bidet with toilet both with their own privacy door. The toiletries were packaged in chic black bottles.
Breakfast was served in the bar/lounge restaurant located next to the lobby. Buffet style with menu items made to order. Good selection, not great. The service was okay, I asked for two eggs over medium and got a plain omelette.
I didn't use the spa but I was given a tour. Very beautiful with very pleasant clerks. The pool was fantastic with mood lightning. The gym was the best I've ever seen for a hotel gym. Free weights, cardio equipment, weight machines were all top notch.
If I was returning to Istanbul I wouldn't consider this hotel again. The location is horrible. Although, I would stay at Edition Hotels, the design is fantastic. I felt that for an international hotel it lacked staff that could speak and understand English. Marriott also needs to do a better job in getting Edition up to speed on Platinum benefits.
The hotel is modern and chic. Although, it doesn't have that COOL factor you find at W Hotels. The hotel is located far away from any places of interest unless you travel to visit shopping centres. There are two located directly across the street. Then again so is a cemetery which is not very well-kept.
I was not offered a Platinum amenity nor was my status acknowledged.
My deluxe room was very beautiful totally finished with cherry wood walls and ceiling. Flat panel B&O TV, everything was touch control including the drapes & lights. Plenty of closet space with safe. Very comfortable large "U" shaped couch in the sitting area. The bathroom was stunning. It had a separate rain shower and separate bidet with toilet both with their own privacy door. The toiletries were packaged in chic black bottles.
Breakfast was served in the bar/lounge restaurant located next to the lobby. Buffet style with menu items made to order. Good selection, not great. The service was okay, I asked for two eggs over medium and got a plain omelette.
I didn't use the spa but I was given a tour. Very beautiful with very pleasant clerks. The pool was fantastic with mood lightning. The gym was the best I've ever seen for a hotel gym. Free weights, cardio equipment, weight machines were all top notch.
If I was returning to Istanbul I wouldn't consider this hotel again. The location is horrible. Although, I would stay at Edition Hotels, the design is fantastic. I felt that for an international hotel it lacked staff that could speak and understand English. Marriott also needs to do a better job in getting Edition up to speed on Platinum benefits.
Jan 18, 2012, 8:41 am
#66
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Greener Pastures
Posts: 10,515
I recently stayed there as well for 4 nights...first time in Turkey - would definitely go back again!
Here's a quick trip report & my thoughts...
The Arrival:
Arrived at IST around 4pm after a 10 hour nonstop flight from IAD (Visa process took about 30 seconds & $20US). We booked an airport transfer through Backpackers Travel for 30 euros (must pay in cash in euros - at least that what my buddy who booked it said - there were 3 of us & we got a minivan. The hotel did offer transport in a Mercedes sedan for about 110 euros, I believe. Traffic was a total mess, and I'm sure a metered taxi would have been the equivalent, given the taxi. For what it's worth, we had a 7am flight to ZRH when we left & took a taxi back at 4:30am - it was 50 Turkish Lira (with tip...exchange rate at the time was 1.87 TL = 1 USD = 1.29 Euro) - but we also flew with zero traffic...so about $27US or 20 euros - if I were to go again, I'd pay the 30 euros to have someone waiting for me at IST & no risk on the costs with traffic and a really small taxis).
Got to the hotel - service was good from the bellman to the check-in process. There is a metal detector & an x-ray machine there (but it seems that there's one in a lot of places - you have to go through one to enter the mall across the street). The check-in isn't a typical front desk - it's literally a desk where you sit & they sit and check you in and register. The front office manager checked us in & made polite conversation throughout the process - a very warm & welcoming check-in. We were then escorted to the room by the front office manager where he pointed out the features of the rooms. The room has electronic drapes, shades, and sheer curtains, great lighting options, and a electronic curtain between the bedroom & the bath (similar to the Cosmopolitan in Vegas where if you want to you, you can watch your partner while he or she bathes, from bed
)
The Rooms:
We had booked standard rooms - the rooms were spectacular, for standard hotel rooms - and quite large. The layout was great - King size bed (great pillows) with a very large almost U-shaped (think 2 L-shaped) couch. Large coffee table. Mini-bar (wet-bar with good sized bottles of Vodka, Rum, and Whiskey available) - lots of closet space, safe, good amenities (shoe horn, complimentary shoe shine available, 2 robes, slippers), and a great bathroom.
About the bathroom - very much a spa feel. The design is a very modern luxury design. There is a separate soaking tub, a separate "toilet room" with bidet and frosted glass. The shower was awesome - it was quite large. These rooms have very high ceilings & the shower was a rain-shower with option telephone showerhead. There was a loofah/scrub mitt provided as well.
The Restaurants:
There's a Cipriani's there - didn't try it as I'm not much into Italian food - and I was in Turkey, so I was going to eat a lot of Turkish food! It only offers lunch & dinner (although the in-room guide implies breakfast).
There's a lobby bar that you can order room service items in. The couple I was with ordered room service twice - the prices were quite reasonable given the luxury of the hotel and the quality and quantity of food and the exchange rates.
We did have breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet one morning - it was 60 TL per person. The options were good - note that the sausages were beef or chicken (pork/bacon wasn't offered, likely due to it being a mostly Muslim country) - fresh fruits, cereals, juices, eggs, pancakes, breakfast breads, breakfast meats, etc...nothing special, but not bad.
The Fitness area & Espa:
The spa is located on levels -4 and -5 (yes, 5 floors underground - I think it goes to -7 to +14) . The entrance is on -5. You can just change in your room & wear the robe & slippers down if you want to go to the pool (FWIW, I'm 6'1" - the "large" robe was a bit tight). The fitness center was an above average hotel gym - state of the art equipment & a weight room with complimentary bottled water & headsets for working out on the machines if you want to listen to music or watch TV while running.
There is a Hammam (see pictures on the picture gallery link in the spa. I received a welcome letter prior to arrival offering 20% off spa services if I booked them at least 3-days prior to arrival. I didn't use the spa, but my friend's wife did - she got a half-day treatment that was about 300 TL...she loved it - that was without the discount as it was booked same-day.
The pool area was pretty nice - there's only about 10 lounge chairs, but that wasn't a problem & it was never crowded. The pool (pictured in the link above) was big enough for laps. There was a relaxation pool as well that offered 4 "in-water massages" (not really sure how to describe it much better) - I thought it was a giant jacuzzi, but it wasn't really hot water, it was warm water, but not hot.
There was a steam room (spectacular way to end the day after walking around all day & it was quite cold...in the older part of the city, a lot of cobblestone, so wear good shoes), a dry sauna, and a snow room. Before a treatment, the sauna opens your pores and the snow room closes them after a treatment.
The fitness center is open 24 hrs a day - the pool/sauna area is open from 7am to 10pm - although the in-room guide says 6am.
The Location:
The hotel is located in Levent - which, from what I gathered, is the financial district. It's right on a main road. The Levent subway stop is literally next door, so getting to the old town area is quite simple. There's a mall called Metro City across the street (one of the days it snowed quite a bit - so we went to the mall...there's a food court & about 4 levels of shopping). Not the best location from a leisure perspective if you want to be right in the middle of it, but with the subway literally next door, easy access to tourist destinations. For business in the financial district, probably a good location.
Other Notes:
Keep in mind when you're looking at a subway map that some lines are subways (like NYC), other lines are a funicular car, and other lines are above ground trams (like AMS). It's 2 TL for each ride. So, if you want to ride from Levent, where the hotel is, to Hagia Sofia. It's 2 TL for the subway, 2 TL for the funicular, and 2 TL for above ground tram. Many people had cards, but we just did everything on a pay-per ride basis. You have to buy a "Jeton" which is a plastic token coin from a machine. Either buy a bunch up front or use small bills as if you use 20 TL note to buy 1 token, you'll have 18 coins in change your pocket.
First day, we took all the transporation options above....after that, took the subway to Sisiphane (sp? end of the line) and walked - it's a very walkable city).
I used the ATM near at the airport. There are 3-4 ATMs right near the entrance to the Levant station. The one on the far left, if you have a US bank account, will charge 3% currency conversion. The ING ones do not & the other ones do not. There's an ING ATM in the subway station right before the train entrance.
For those that don't want to eat Turkish food all the time, there's a McDonald's, a KFC, and a Pizza Hut near the hotel...we did the McD's breakfast one day when we wanted to get out early...it was pretty expensive, relatively speaking, and the sausage on a sausage McMuffin was weird. They do have the deep fried apple pies, which are delicious & not available in the US!
The food court at the mall has US & Turkish options - we had lunch there on the snow day.
Taksim Square has some great "burrito-like" kebab options from the walk-up restaurants...good "street food" and cheap! Also, a very busy shopping/people watching district.
There aren't a lot of bars in Istanbul!
If you have *G access, get to the airport early enough to enjoy the Turkish Airlines lounge - it's probably one of the best I've been to.
Public transporation is easy to use & safe to use.
There's a club, the Billionaires Club, in the hotel...on Friday night, we saw a Bugatti parked out front as well as some other great sports cars & luxury cars - so it seemed to be a luxurious clientele.
Final thought:
I would definitely go back to IST & stay at this hotel. It was an great property with great service and a great staff. I didn't encounter any challenges with people not able to speak English during my stay.
Here's a quick trip report & my thoughts...
The Arrival:
Arrived at IST around 4pm after a 10 hour nonstop flight from IAD (Visa process took about 30 seconds & $20US). We booked an airport transfer through Backpackers Travel for 30 euros (must pay in cash in euros - at least that what my buddy who booked it said - there were 3 of us & we got a minivan. The hotel did offer transport in a Mercedes sedan for about 110 euros, I believe. Traffic was a total mess, and I'm sure a metered taxi would have been the equivalent, given the taxi. For what it's worth, we had a 7am flight to ZRH when we left & took a taxi back at 4:30am - it was 50 Turkish Lira (with tip...exchange rate at the time was 1.87 TL = 1 USD = 1.29 Euro) - but we also flew with zero traffic...so about $27US or 20 euros - if I were to go again, I'd pay the 30 euros to have someone waiting for me at IST & no risk on the costs with traffic and a really small taxis).
Got to the hotel - service was good from the bellman to the check-in process. There is a metal detector & an x-ray machine there (but it seems that there's one in a lot of places - you have to go through one to enter the mall across the street). The check-in isn't a typical front desk - it's literally a desk where you sit & they sit and check you in and register. The front office manager checked us in & made polite conversation throughout the process - a very warm & welcoming check-in. We were then escorted to the room by the front office manager where he pointed out the features of the rooms. The room has electronic drapes, shades, and sheer curtains, great lighting options, and a electronic curtain between the bedroom & the bath (similar to the Cosmopolitan in Vegas where if you want to you, you can watch your partner while he or she bathes, from bed
)The Rooms:
We had booked standard rooms - the rooms were spectacular, for standard hotel rooms - and quite large. The layout was great - King size bed (great pillows) with a very large almost U-shaped (think 2 L-shaped) couch. Large coffee table. Mini-bar (wet-bar with good sized bottles of Vodka, Rum, and Whiskey available) - lots of closet space, safe, good amenities (shoe horn, complimentary shoe shine available, 2 robes, slippers), and a great bathroom.
About the bathroom - very much a spa feel. The design is a very modern luxury design. There is a separate soaking tub, a separate "toilet room" with bidet and frosted glass. The shower was awesome - it was quite large. These rooms have very high ceilings & the shower was a rain-shower with option telephone showerhead. There was a loofah/scrub mitt provided as well.
The Restaurants:
There's a Cipriani's there - didn't try it as I'm not much into Italian food - and I was in Turkey, so I was going to eat a lot of Turkish food! It only offers lunch & dinner (although the in-room guide implies breakfast).
There's a lobby bar that you can order room service items in. The couple I was with ordered room service twice - the prices were quite reasonable given the luxury of the hotel and the quality and quantity of food and the exchange rates.
We did have breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet one morning - it was 60 TL per person. The options were good - note that the sausages were beef or chicken (pork/bacon wasn't offered, likely due to it being a mostly Muslim country) - fresh fruits, cereals, juices, eggs, pancakes, breakfast breads, breakfast meats, etc...nothing special, but not bad.
The Fitness area & Espa:
The spa is located on levels -4 and -5 (yes, 5 floors underground - I think it goes to -7 to +14) . The entrance is on -5. You can just change in your room & wear the robe & slippers down if you want to go to the pool (FWIW, I'm 6'1" - the "large" robe was a bit tight). The fitness center was an above average hotel gym - state of the art equipment & a weight room with complimentary bottled water & headsets for working out on the machines if you want to listen to music or watch TV while running.
There is a Hammam (see pictures on the picture gallery link in the spa. I received a welcome letter prior to arrival offering 20% off spa services if I booked them at least 3-days prior to arrival. I didn't use the spa, but my friend's wife did - she got a half-day treatment that was about 300 TL...she loved it - that was without the discount as it was booked same-day.
The pool area was pretty nice - there's only about 10 lounge chairs, but that wasn't a problem & it was never crowded. The pool (pictured in the link above) was big enough for laps. There was a relaxation pool as well that offered 4 "in-water massages" (not really sure how to describe it much better) - I thought it was a giant jacuzzi, but it wasn't really hot water, it was warm water, but not hot.
There was a steam room (spectacular way to end the day after walking around all day & it was quite cold...in the older part of the city, a lot of cobblestone, so wear good shoes), a dry sauna, and a snow room. Before a treatment, the sauna opens your pores and the snow room closes them after a treatment.
The fitness center is open 24 hrs a day - the pool/sauna area is open from 7am to 10pm - although the in-room guide says 6am.
The Location:
The hotel is located in Levent - which, from what I gathered, is the financial district. It's right on a main road. The Levent subway stop is literally next door, so getting to the old town area is quite simple. There's a mall called Metro City across the street (one of the days it snowed quite a bit - so we went to the mall...there's a food court & about 4 levels of shopping). Not the best location from a leisure perspective if you want to be right in the middle of it, but with the subway literally next door, easy access to tourist destinations. For business in the financial district, probably a good location.
Other Notes:
Keep in mind when you're looking at a subway map that some lines are subways (like NYC), other lines are a funicular car, and other lines are above ground trams (like AMS). It's 2 TL for each ride. So, if you want to ride from Levent, where the hotel is, to Hagia Sofia. It's 2 TL for the subway, 2 TL for the funicular, and 2 TL for above ground tram. Many people had cards, but we just did everything on a pay-per ride basis. You have to buy a "Jeton" which is a plastic token coin from a machine. Either buy a bunch up front or use small bills as if you use 20 TL note to buy 1 token, you'll have 18 coins in change your pocket.
First day, we took all the transporation options above....after that, took the subway to Sisiphane (sp? end of the line) and walked - it's a very walkable city).
I used the ATM near at the airport. There are 3-4 ATMs right near the entrance to the Levant station. The one on the far left, if you have a US bank account, will charge 3% currency conversion. The ING ones do not & the other ones do not. There's an ING ATM in the subway station right before the train entrance.
For those that don't want to eat Turkish food all the time, there's a McDonald's, a KFC, and a Pizza Hut near the hotel...we did the McD's breakfast one day when we wanted to get out early...it was pretty expensive, relatively speaking, and the sausage on a sausage McMuffin was weird. They do have the deep fried apple pies, which are delicious & not available in the US!
The food court at the mall has US & Turkish options - we had lunch there on the snow day.
Taksim Square has some great "burrito-like" kebab options from the walk-up restaurants...good "street food" and cheap! Also, a very busy shopping/people watching district.
There aren't a lot of bars in Istanbul!
If you have *G access, get to the airport early enough to enjoy the Turkish Airlines lounge - it's probably one of the best I've been to.
Public transporation is easy to use & safe to use.
There's a club, the Billionaires Club, in the hotel...on Friday night, we saw a Bugatti parked out front as well as some other great sports cars & luxury cars - so it seemed to be a luxurious clientele.
Final thought:
I would definitely go back to IST & stay at this hotel. It was an great property with great service and a great staff. I didn't encounter any challenges with people not able to speak English during my stay.
Last edited by bhatnasx; Jan 18, 2012 at 8:55 am
Feb 2, 2012, 6:59 am
#67
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ZRH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Global, Miles and More SEN,
Posts: 338
Platinum Benefits in Edition Hotel Istanbul?
Hi FT,
Sorry, it is beyond my poor little brain, can some one explain to me what benefits I'd get as a Platinum member in an Editon Hotel?
Do I get free Internet?
Do I get free breakfast, and if so, only weekdays or 7 days a week?
So is an Edition a "Marriott Hotels & Resorts" I don't know if this counts or not?
same question
What might be nice is if Marriott made a table with earning and benefits across all the various brands.
Thanks a lot,
Bege
Sorry, it is beyond my poor little brain, can some one explain to me what benefits I'd get as a Platinum member in an Editon Hotel?
Do I get free Internet?
Do I get free breakfast, and if so, only weekdays or 7 days a week?
7.Free High-Speed Internet Access: Complimentary Internet access at all JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, AC Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Courtyard by Marriott (outside of U.S. & Canada only). Not available in meeting rooms.
4.Guaranteed Concierge/Executive/Club Lounge Access* at JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels and Marriott Hotels & Resorts during normal hours of operations: Monday to Friday. Outside the U.S. and Canada, continental breakfast is available 7 days a week...
What might be nice is if Marriott made a table with earning and benefits across all the various brands.
Thanks a lot,
Bege
Feb 25, 2012, 4:04 pm
#69
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,077
Google brought up this link: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...sphorus-hotel/
Feb 26, 2012, 8:13 am
#70
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,107
Google brought up this link: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...sphorus-hotel/
Cheers.
Feb 26, 2012, 3:33 pm
#71
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AA EXP, AAirpass, & CK 2MM, MR Plat Premier, DL Plat, US Plat, UA RECOVERING GS
Posts: 2,620
True, the link does say that. I saw the property a couple weeks ago (albeit from the street) and I really doubt that will be the case. If they do pull it off I guess I won't be surprised when I start seeing pigs in pilot's uniforms.
Mar 23, 2012, 10:53 am
#72
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: OKC
Programs: DL DM/2.768MM, Global Entry, Titanium_Marriott, GHertz
Posts: 6,748
1. How does one get the shuttle at the airport? I arrive at 10:15 am on a Friday.
2. Is there more information about the free shuttle into the city?
3. How much does 24 hr Wifi cost in the room?
Mar 24, 2012, 9:01 am
#73
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AA EXP, AAirpass, & CK 2MM, MR Plat Premier, DL Plat, US Plat, UA RECOVERING GS
Posts: 2,620
Wow. They offer a free shuttle to the old city? That can be >1hr each way in traffic (which is 20hours a day in IST). That's a huge expense for them.
Mar 24, 2012, 9:20 am
#74
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,107
If you're a Marriott Gold or Platinum, then it's free. No idea if it's wifi or ethernet in the room, but G/Ps get free i'net.
Does anyone know if this property has an exec lounge? If so, is it open on the weekends? If not, do they provide breakfast coupons? If not, is it key accessible for soft drinks? Is there an i-net terminal or free wifi in the lounge?
Cheers.
Does anyone know if this property has an exec lounge? If so, is it open on the weekends? If not, do they provide breakfast coupons? If not, is it key accessible for soft drinks? Is there an i-net terminal or free wifi in the lounge?
Cheers.
Mar 25, 2012, 10:07 am
#75
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: DTW
Programs: DL: Plat; Marriott Gold; HHonors Gold
Posts: 87
Posted from the CY IST.
The shuttle to the city is no more. I don't know when or why it was discontinued; the taxi fare into the old city is about 56TL(Turkish Lira).
Given my status, the internet fee was waived and the in-room connection is WiFi.
The hotel/airport shuttle can be met at the hotel shuttle pickup place outside of customs at the airport.
My rate included breakfast so I can not comment re breakfast coupons.
I was not offered access to an exec lounge and I am not sure that there is one.
Keep in mind that the airport is west of town and the property is further away from town. The Marriott reservation site can provide geographic perspective also Google Earth. Mrs BenDar06 and I had signed up for tours/excursions with Viatour and according to the Viatour Web site, they would pick up at the hotel. After payment, we were advised that we had to go to the Sheraton Akatoy (a 25-30TL cab ride) to be picked up. I did see tour brochures in the lobby and, in the future, I will contact the hotel directly to assess relative offerings.
We were genuinely pleased with our stay here; the staff was typically Marriott: intent on seeing that your stay will be well worth your time and money.
The shuttle to the city is no more. I don't know when or why it was discontinued; the taxi fare into the old city is about 56TL(Turkish Lira).
Given my status, the internet fee was waived and the in-room connection is WiFi.
The hotel/airport shuttle can be met at the hotel shuttle pickup place outside of customs at the airport.
My rate included breakfast so I can not comment re breakfast coupons.
I was not offered access to an exec lounge and I am not sure that there is one.
Keep in mind that the airport is west of town and the property is further away from town. The Marriott reservation site can provide geographic perspective also Google Earth. Mrs BenDar06 and I had signed up for tours/excursions with Viatour and according to the Viatour Web site, they would pick up at the hotel. After payment, we were advised that we had to go to the Sheraton Akatoy (a 25-30TL cab ride) to be picked up. I did see tour brochures in the lobby and, in the future, I will contact the hotel directly to assess relative offerings.
We were genuinely pleased with our stay here; the staff was typically Marriott: intent on seeing that your stay will be well worth your time and money.