Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli, Turkey [Master Thread]
 

This was posted earlier (in the sticky thread on new hotel openings) that the Marriott Sisli will open in Dec 2013.

The Marriott web site says that the hotel will open in March 2014. The Marriott reservations agent thinks that the hotel may have already opened, but she can not be sure.

I ask because I have tentatively booked a room for 3 nights in mid-March on points. I do not want to show up - and the find out the hard way that there is no open hotel.

If it has opened, and if someone from this forum has stayed there, I would appreciate any comments on the property.

Tell the agent to call the property directly while you're on hold to find out if they're open or when they will open.

Cheers.

It is truly sad when Marriott agents themselves do not know whether a Marriott property is open!

I checked with another agent a few minutes ago who checked with his supervisor.

It seems that the opening day is March 7. I was told that if you go on the web site, the hotel is taking reservations (paid room charge or room on Marriott Rewards points) effective that date.

I have booked a room on Marriott Reward points for 3 nights, effective March 9,

What are the chances that hotel will not open on time?

I found out that this (and perhaps most to all Marriott family of hotels in Istanbul) are franchised by Marriott; not owned by Marriott.

I want to email the manager of the hotel about my stay- right now, there is a generic email to the hotel - no response - not surprising as the hotel is not open. The Marriott desk could not find the name or email address of the manager. The Marriott desk could not find the name of a regional manager for Istanbul or Turkey hotels - I wonder if anyone on this forum can help me in that respect.

Thanks.

Opening Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli
 

Dear all,

Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli will be opening in first half of March 2014.
Our systems are active for bookings as of March 7th.

Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli is the first "Managed" Marriott branded property in Turkey.

Watch amazing Istanbul and enjoy the great film; looking at Istanbul from Marriott Hotel Sisli is just glamorous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPvI9-ejq5M

If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate contact us direct via [email protected]

Regards.

Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli

Did anybody stay here recently? Wondering about how this place stacks up and what to expect as a (matched SPG) Gold member.

I stayed here in October 2014 as a Gold on points

Was upgraded to concierge level corner room -- appx 400 square feet. Very large bathtub and view on the 28th floor (I think)

Concierge lounge was excellent, and well-provisioned like an east Asian lounge. Amazing views of the city.

Downside at the time was that many of the cab drivers didnt know where it was, and the public transit access wasnt very obvious, although by day 2 I figured it out.

The hotel is NOT near the main tourist sites, but the Istanbul metro system is extensive and cheap. Figure 30mins to get to the main tourist locations on public transit.

Hope this helps!

And we stayed January of 2016. Platinum on cheap cash rate only received an upgrade to a high floor water view room, but it was quite nice. As previously noted, the lounge was quite nice and worked as dinner. Breakfast was in the restaurant and was excellent in my eyes. Excellent service and yummy food.

We found the metro to be perfect, and only a five minute walk from the hotel to the metro station. Definitely a journey into town of 30 minutes, but much better than relying on cabs at other options.

Nice pool and spa area in the basement. Plenty of shops outside the hotel, with the mall above the metro stop.

When we return,we would happily stay here again.

Thanks for the updates. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

Thank you very much PaceLaw2009 and joeags. It all sounds good and made my decision to book here much easier. It will be my first Marriott stay ever actually. I'm looking forward to it!

I have two questions regarding this property.
1) Does it have a lounge that is open for free for Elite members?
2) Is breakfast included for elite members?
Thank you!

Yes and Yes

To be clear, breakfast in the lounge is included for elite members.

Breakfast is included for Gold and Platinum members, and at this hotel it is actually in the restaurant. We've been very pleased with the offerings on our two stays there. Full breakfast, while the evening service in the lounge is good for some wine and a light meal, possibly dinner if you're like us and have a heavy meaty lunch!

We have not been upgraded other than to a high floor and water view, (maybe a deluxe room this 2 night stay) but we still love this hotel, especially with the pool in the basement.

Alternate to Marriott Sisli: on the Bosphorus???
 

Does the Metro have elevators? We have only taken the light rail. I really do not want to be so far from the main sites. We stayed at Doubletree to be close to everything and, for just an overnight, on the Bosphorus. We like to go through Istanbul for its Turkish Air lounge so sometimes we are there only over night. But we want it to be a great place. I would like to stay at a Marriott on the Bosphorus if anyone knows of one.