FlyerTalk Forums - St. Regis Istanbul [Master Thread]

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For the same price, would you stay at this StR or the W? Which is better in terms of amenities , service and most importantly, location?

Quote:

Originally Posted by googs185 (Post 31060396)

For the same price, would you stay at this StR or the W? Which is better in terms of amenities , service and most importantly, location?

The StR is the obvious choice. The two hotels are only 1.6 km apart.

To be fair, in almost any locale in the world where there are both a StR and W, the easy choice would be for the StR over the W if the price were remotely the same—or even if the StR were a bit more. A StR is almost always going to offer better service (not even considering its standard butler service), better amenities, and better hard product (barring it being a lot older for some reason).

Quote:

Originally Posted by googs185 (Post 31060396)

For the same price, would you stay at this StR or the W? Which is better in terms of amenities , service and most importantly, location?

We stayed at both and liked both. St Regis, however, is a whole other class. Can't compare the two. I'd choose STR over W if it was 3 times the price. At 4 times, I would consider W.

STR often 4 times of W price. So if you can get STR at same price take it or let me know and I'll fly over.

look at Marriott Istanbul thread for my review comparing both

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHLTP (Post 31061525)

I'll check out your thread, thanks! My wife is a Marriott employee-that's why we get the good rates.The StR is actually cheaper for us! They want 140 euro for the W and 126 for the StR. Plats get breakfast at either hotel right?

I don't think plats get benefits if staying on Marriott rate. I am not an employee so I could be wrong. I'd definitely stay at STR then at that price. No question whatsoever even if they don't include breakfast. There are good breakfast places near W of you decide that route

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHLTP (Post 31075899)

Plats get all benefits when staying on employee rates including lounge access (if applicable), upgrades, breakfast and welcome amenity. The only thing you don't get is the points for the stay (on the paid cash price). It's a really good deal. Was breakfast good at the StR. Was there a lounge?

Breakfast was quite nice (much better than W). No lounge

I included a brief overview of the St. Regis Istanbul in my recent Trip Report, at the following link...

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip...l#post31146938

St.Regis Istanbul = Entire Hotel All To Ourselves

Introduction When circumstances are unusual such as during the virus outbreak we can see which hotels use the opportunity to provide fantastic service and which hotels use the virus as an excuse for bad service and cost cutting. I was greatly impressed during our stay at St.Regis Istanbul where staff and management have truly honored the St.Regis brand by doing the best they can to ensure we had the best stay possible while at the same time making choices for the safety of guests. We have stayed at some very good hotels in Istanbul before such as Fairmont and Ritz Carlton but St.Regis has shown us that they are in a class of their own and they earned our loyalty and we will be sure to return when circumstances are improved. Location The location of St.Regis is right in the heart of the city in a luxury shopping district, in front of the MaÃ§ka Park. I think this location is excellent, in fact better than Ritz Carlton which is not far off but there is not much around RC, and StRâ€™s location is significantly better than Fairmont which is not in a neighborhood that visitors will think is ideal unless they have business nearby. Service Service was a stand-out at this hotel, in part because staff was fully available for guests but also because management had clearly made the decision that they were not going to cut corners. The excellent service started well before we arrived at the hotel. I originally found a very low rate via a best rate guarantee claim that was approved and that StR stay was approximately one month after our stay at RC Istanbul. We wanted to travel light so I asked StR if they could keep a suitcase in storage for one month and they said no problem so upon our check-out from RC we stopped by StR to leave the suitcase. A few weeks later the virus outbreak took a turn for the worse and we had to change our plans. StR agreed to move the dates of our stay to our convenience without changing the (BRG) rate. With some delay, we were able to reunite with our suitcase when we came back to Istanbul.When we checked in we were told that hotel occupancy was quite low in fact only 10 rooms were occupied. At that time the reported cases of the virus were still fairly low in Turkey but during our stay they started to accelerate; towards the end we were the only guests remaining in the entire hotel. Having an entire St.Regis hotel to ourselves was quite an experience that we will not forget any time soon given that service standards did not slip one bit. As restaurants within walking distance of the hotel gradually started to close we were relegated to dinner at the hotel but it was not a problem at all. We could order room service and even order things off the menu â€“ the kitchen was still open. Housekeeping? Done when we requested, turn down service offered, etc. The butler service remained available at all times. For breakfast when we were alone in the hotel they asked us what time we expected to come down in the restaurant so that they could prepare for us. I can imagine that times are very tough for hotels but this property can be proud of not cutting back on service in any way shape or form, even with only one room occupied in the entire hotel. Absolutely stellar. This is the perfect picture of a hotel which takes the long view: preserving their top notch reputation is preferable rather than temporarily cutting costs with negative consequences to service levels. Room Not surprisingly, as Marriott Ambassador Elite guests we were upgraded to a St.Regis suite given low occupancy. The St.Regis suite might not be as big (57 sq m) as the premium suite we usually get at Fairmont (96 sq m), but the one at StR is a tad above in terms of quality and design. The room looks great with several little details which were well thought out and I liked the unique ceiling lighting, different parts of the walls having different materials and fabrics including the curves and mirrors in the living rooms, etc. While different room designs can please different guests, I am curious if there has ever been a guest in this suite who did NOT like that room, besides perhaps its smallish size.StR is new and modern like Fairmont, both having tech features for example electric blinds and sheers and the TV in the bathroom mirror. Fairmont and RC are both in high rise buildings therefore they offer nice views of the city. St.Regis is only 7 floors high but since our suite was directly facing the park it was lovely as well. If there is one feature (or two) I wish were different is the carpet; I prefer hardwood floors. Also a top notch luxury suite must have 1.5 bath in my opinion which can be found in Fairmont but not St.Regis. Marriott loyalists might care more about the comparison to RC than Fairmont: while the suite at RC is nice and not much to criticize, I would say the hardware of StR is easily the better one. Dining Given the virus situation, understandably there was temporarily no breakfast buffet. Instead they provided the traditional Turkish breakfast at our table. There was also a small a la carte menu for different styles of eggs for example. As like the rest of our interaction with staff, service was impeccable. One recommendation I would make if they want to step up their game a notch would be to offer room service breakfast as part of the Ambassador Elite benefit rather than only in the restaurant, like the three Italian St.Regis hotels do, and also like some Park Hyatts offer. I think even more so during a virus outbreak it would be a nice option to offer to guests who prefer to stay in the comfort of their room, even if they have to pay a modest delivery fee. We ordered room service a couple of times and without surprise the food was very good. As can be expected there is a price premium to pay relative to eating out in restaurants outside the hotel but given the relatively low cost of living in Istanbul, in absolute terms I thought the premium was quite reasonable. Overall Overall I can highly recommend St.Regis as one of the best hotels in Istanbul, in a similar league as Four Seasons and Raffles, and a notch above RC and Fairmont. Service levels in Istanbul hotels are very high for worldwide standards and I thought StR was the cream of the crop even compared with very good local competition. I am looking forward to return in different circumstances in the future.

St.Regis Istanbul = Not Same Experience Without a Suite

Introduction A few months ago I posted a rave review of this hotel right at the beginning of covid, this time we returned and had a good but not great stay, so I thought I would provide more comments for a more balanced picture. Obviously last time because we were alone in the hotel we had fantastic service but this time the hotel had fairly high occupancy so service was not nearly as good, in addition not receiving a suite upgrade at this property makes a significant difference in the value proposition because our room was quite small for luxury standards. Room The hotel has 104 rooms and 14 suites, and many of the suites are actually premium suites so chances of suite upgrades outside of winter are not the best. I thought shortly after the hotel reopened post-covid that occupancy would be low but I was wrong; I only received an upgrade to the Grand Superior room type because standard suites were all occupied. At 35 square meters this room type is not large by any means and the balcony does not have a view of anything except the building in front so that space was of little use to us. This is in sharp contrast with many other hotels in Istanbul with spacious rooms and/or great views, for example at Raffles the entry level room is 62 sqm which is even bigger than standard suites at St.Regis (57 sqm).The design of the room was nice although due to lack of space less impressive than the suite we had in March so it would be one hotel where I consider having a suite upgrade to be more important than in hotels where the basic room is large enough that I am not too bummed if I donâ€™t get a suite. Dining One nice feature of St.Regis post-covid is that we could order breakfast as room service rather than having to go to the restaurant if desired, which was not an option we had at Raffles one month prior. In terms of the menu however, Raffles is very hard to beat; StR was not bad but was closer to a traditional Turkish breakfast rather than the more imaginative and luxury options of Raffles. Service Service at StR was still good but staff were generally quite busy; also I wonder if some staff were new after covid â€“ there were some mistakes here and there with our in-room breakfast orders for example, although I noticed the same at other hotels recently: increased incident of minor issues so StR did not stand out negatively. Some aspects remained top notch however, for example as soon as we stepped out of the taxi upon arrival the bell man recognized us and addressed us by name and the hotel is most flexible in keeping luggage in storage between stays. Covid safeguards were also better than the majority of other hotels where we stayed in Istanbul recently, including temperature check of incoming guests and individually wrapped glasses in the room. Overall If comparing with a few hotels in Istanbul my main conclusion is that in this price range I would be hesitant to book at St.Regis if I thought my odds of a suite upgrade were not very good, for example during high season in the summer. I did not enjoy the (small) room significantly enough to be overly keen on returning in this room type at high prices. I could obviously book a suite straight up but for less money I can get a bigger room at Raffles so itâ€™s not entirely clear that booking a suite outright at StR would be the best course of action. In low season however the strengths of Marriottâ€™s loyalty program and suite upgrades (compared to Accor) turns the value equation around and StR is the better choice. Comparing to Fairmont which is probably my favorite in the city, I can get a huge premium suite guaranteed at time of booking for a similar price tag as a standard room at St.Regis; Fairmont might not be the same level of service as StR but itâ€™s not bad either and has a top notch lounge. Compared to Park Hyatt, St.Regis wins on service, the nicer rooms, but suite upgrades are easier to come by at PH. That said, the suite at PH was quite boring so as much as I was not wowed by the Grand Superior room at StR, I still prefer it over a suite at PH which rarely happens anywhere in the world.

This is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at even though it’s not a huge hotel. The location is next to all the high street shopping and restaurants. The finishing in the hotel is amazing with the wood paneling everywhere. The service is great also. Very highly recommended.

The STR Istanbul is mostly a very nice property, but there are some areas of small improvement needed with both the hard and soft products in order to bring this property up to the pinnacle of what it can be. Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Pros:

I had to ask at check-in (was initially only upgraded to a Grand Deluxe), but I was able to get an upgrade to a St. Regis Suite on the 5th floor
The suite design is really striking - lots of art, details, wood, etc. - it's a very unique-feeling hard product
Bed had a great plush mattress and great plush pillows - I slept well (more on bed in Cons)
Shower pressure was decent - no issues here - no temperature issues, either
Acqua di Panna toiletries instead of Remede, but they still smelled good
Some nice big bath sheets and lots of towels
Asked about late checkout at check-in - I said I would need 2 PM, and they responded that they would put 4 PM
Nice view towards Macka Park
Lovely location in Nisantasi - close to a lovely pizza at Azzurro Pizza Napoletana
Elite welcome gift breakfast was delicious
- Turkish breakfast board + a la carte selections
- Croissant in the pastry basket was really tasty and flaky
- Delicious eggs royale (even though it wasn't on the menu)
- Tasty pancakes
- Really good cheese
- Brought a kind-of-gross ginger welcome shot, but now, I know I'm so healthy
- Really nice lattes that obviously weren't from a machine
- Breakfast service couldn't have been friendlier - asking me about my travels, hostess walked over to call the elevator for me upon my departure
Welcome gift of baklava and chocolate truffles was really good (one of the truffles was passion fruit - so divine) - (more on welcome gift in cons)
Most associates were really friendly
Turndown attendant greeted me by name and was quite friendly

Cons:

Living room furniture prioritized form over function - the couch was far too shallow for effective sitting or leaning
One of the exterior shutters would not move with the electronic controls
Bed covers were fine but very lumpy - they need to replace the comforters due to feather clumping
One of the elevators had a really poor-performing key reader that was horribly inconsistent and led me to take several rides up and down before getting my button pressed - the staff knew of this issue
Some service mishaps
- No real assistance getting my bags up the entrance stairs despite 3 associates standing in front of the door (this is not an issue at far-cheaper Istanbul properties)
- Called down about 5 minutes after check-in to bring my corporate ID for XML rate verification - okay, that's fine, but why couldn't I show it at check-in instead of having to trudge all the way down to the desk 5 minutes after getting to my room?
- The butler who escorted me to my room made a rude / shady comment - I mentioned as I was looking at the view that I saw the steep hill I walked up while walking to the STR from the Ritz - the butler snidely said "well, that was your choice" - I brushed it off and said "well, I have to get my exercise somehow" - it might have been a poor attempt at a joke, but I felt it was more of a snobbish attitude (no one laughed) - sure, I didn't arrive to the hotel via Maybach as other guests were, but I'm paying cash just like other guests
Weird welcome gift experience - worked out in the end
- The butler mentioned that they would be bringing an amenity and mentioned that Turkish coffee was included - I accepted the offer of Turkish coffee, which was delivered shortly
- Another butler then came by and delivered some waters and a plate with napkin and silverware
- Nothing else came, but the turndown attendant noticed the plate and asked if I had my welcome amenity delivered - I said no, and she said she would call down (but I think she got distracted with another guest in the hallway that I could hear - not her fault or her job)
- I decided to ask at the front desk if I should get an amenity and felt very awkward and demanding - however, the associate seemed surprised I hadn't gotten something and said they would take care of it - to his credit, I hadn't spoken to him before, but he knew my room number before I said my name or room number
- About 10 minutes later, two butlers came up with the four plates of my welcome amenity
In-room carpets need to be updated and replaced - seemed a tad old and were not plush
Confusing information around breakfast
- Front desk told me breakfast was at Spago on the roof until 11:30 AM
- Butler said breakfast ended at 10:30 AM
- I went up to Spago in the afternoon and asked for breakfast hours - the unhelpful hostess (very different from morning staff) said to ask the Brasserie on the ground floor
- Online hours show that only the Brasserie is open for breakfast
- In the morning, no one was at the Brasserie
- Breakfast was served in Spago with a menu that said "Brasserie"

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast (Post 35043910)

Pros:

The suite design is really striking - lots of art, details, wood, etc. - it's a very unique-feeling hard product

The art and decor in the suite is quite striking and interesting. Too bad about the service failures and mixups.

David

I can echo some of ElevatorEnthusiast 's comments about service. This hotel has clearly gone downhill since my previous glowing review(s); there have been many high level departures at StR and it shows. For example, they failed to bring me what I ordered in room service three times and after being woken up by lights and TV at 2am when backup power came on due to an outage, they simply shrugged shoulders and said it's not their fault :rolleyes: Then wifi was out for hours.

Then there is the issue of upgrades - this hotel is now a much better fit for people without status at Marriott. Either you should burn an SNA for a suite, but if you don't the chances of a suite upgrade are slim to none even if they are available at time of check-in and even if you are a repeat Ambassador guest. First off the premium suites are completely out of bounds at this hotel (I could not get one even when we were all alone in the hotel in March 2020), and elites won't get a standard suite unless lots of them are empty at time of check-in. To make matters worse, they don't have many of them available to begin with unlike at the vast majority of StRegis hotels elsewhere in the world. They want to keep suites available for last minute cash bookings from rich Russians and Ukrainians who are price insensitive and pay up $$$$$ for this hotel and could not care less about Bonvoy points or elite benefits: this has changed how the hotel operates; Bonvoy elites are not the priority at this StR anymore. Given the situation, I can see the business logic for it - I would not blame them for it.

Not only I am no longer paying cash rates at this hotel because it's become so out of line (burning points makes more sense), but now I suspect I won't go back any time soon even with points, due to the deterioration in service and how likely I am to get suites at other hotels compared to StR. That's my own business logic, and it goes in the complete opposite direction as StR so it's fair to say I am no longer a good fit for this hotel.

After my stay at StR I also stayed at RC and the difference in treatment was striking: borderline unwelcome at StR, versus great treatment at RC. So from now on, I will simply watch StR from the sidelines.

W is a hotel which costs a fraction of what StR costs so the following statement from ElevatorEnthusiast originally raised my eyebrows:

Quote:

Overall, I would return to the STR, but honestly, the only thing that was better about my experience here than the W was the breakfast and the welcome gift. I would pick the W 9 times out of 10.

While I am not a big fan of W, I can state with absolute certainty that I would now return to W before StR...

Quote:

Originally Posted by escape4 (Post 35357891)

Disappointed to hear that my odd service experiences were not isolated. Oh, well, Istanbul has a lot of competition, including in this specific location with the new Westin, the W (where service seemed to be their thing), and the Ritz.