stimpy

My first Design hotel experience was a good one. I had a 22 hour TK transit so decided to pop into town and try this hotel out. It is right across the street from the IC where I usually stay and has the same excellent Bosphorus views. I booked a deluxe room and was upgraded to a good sized suite. I think they said it was a junior suite. It had wrap-around views of the sea, the bridge to Asia and Taksim square. It overlooks the Beşiktaş Vodaphone stadium too. This has to be up near the top of best Starwood room views.

The bathroom was all marble with Aromatherapy products. The shower was excellent, instantly blasting down steaming hot water. In fact I stood aside to avoid getting scalded and let it run at full heat for a few minutes. The cabin quickly became a nice steam room.

This boutique hotel is surprisingly luxurious. I did not expect that and if all Design hotels are this nice I will be a happy customer. They have a nice spa in the basement and a very nice restaurant at dinner. Breakfast was kind of average though. Other than that, the service throughout was excellent. I paid the full refundable rate with breakfast at €100. Dinner cost a lot less than it would have been had the setting been in western Europe and the bar was excellent too.

SanDiego1K

You've got me considering a stay here. I'm booked at the Park Hyatt, a lovely hotel but no view. I love a great water view.

damon88

Thanks Stimpy. I love hearing positive experiences. The Design hotels intrigue me and I would like to incorporate more.

To manage my expectations though, I am still unclear how most are treating Platinums. At the Gramercy Park (my first Design stay) there was no mention of status, and I had to really beg for a 1:45 pm check out.

It seems like other Design hotels are upgrading. It will be interesting to see the trend.

Thanks!

stimpy

Well they gave me a nice suite upgrade, but I don't recall them mentioning the word Platinum. I did not ask for a late check out, but planned to leave around 12:30pm. Yet a few minute before that time they rang my room to ask me when I was checking out. I think check out time was 11am.

stimpy

I think you will find this hotel just about as luxurious as the PH, but smaller of course. They have some top floor panoramic suites that should have more stunning views than the one I had on the 9th floor. But I guess one would not get upgraded to that from an entry level room. It would be worth a phone call to the hotel to enquire. Everyone I encountered there was quite friendly.

rdlmitedu

I stayed there recently for one night (25-26 DEC). 4pm checkout, upgraded from cheapest room to Bosphorus view. The rooms are not huge (at least until you get to the suites, which weren't that expensive overall, but were 2-3x more than the base rooms), but nice, and quite functional. The Internet was quite fast. Taksim square is a convenient location for going anywhere else (I'd previously stayed at the StR and the W in a nearby, more upscale, and more boring neighborhood). I didn't try F&B, but did get a spa treatment (in the basement), which was also well-run and professional.

Turkey is definitely having some security challenges (the PKK bombings, coup attempt, ISIS stuff, etc.), and it's not really on my tourist short-list for a while, but all the people I met were really friendly.

FGunawan

Any updates on this property? Considering a stay here next month.

PointWeasel

Currently in-house after moving up the hill from the W Istanbul in Besiktas.

The front desk agent is on her A game, and very with it, with SPG status mentioned at check-in. While I was offered an jr suite upgrade, it was only for the first night of my stay, which is not ideal. The agent sweetened the offer with a couple of complimentary items which made up for the inconvenience.

Overall, my stay at the W was underwhelming, with Chinese bus tour groups now the 'scene' in the tiniest Starwood property lobby I have ever encountered. I am glad I made the decision to try our the Gezi property and will provide a furher update after check-out.

PointWeasel

Quick update.

No upgrade now. The 'upgrade' was to a junior suite that may be 2m larger if that and the room had a cigarette burn in the chaise lounge, an airline bag tag affixed to the upper part of the window that opens (not sure why) and broken bathroom accessories. Very odd if the claim to have a Housekeeping Manager check all rooms.

I moved to an end room, taking the room category I was originally booked in. First time for that to happen in awhile, but I will suck it up.

JBG89

Hi all,

Can anyone advise on this hotel as a plat member? It seems to be about $125 a night whereas the STR and PH are about $220 (I am also a globalist). The W is at $110.

Can anyone advise on which you would choose?

3rdworldresident

any recent stay reports as platinum at this property?

thanks in advance.

Jimgotkp

Stayed here for a few nights after booking via an OTA (had some points to use) and want to share my experience with others who are considering this property. The check-in process was pretty quick and was given a Deluxe Park room which is the same room type I booked as I needed two beds. I thought the room was pretty small.

Rooms:
My biggest complaints were that the bed platforms creaked A LOT and the mattresses weren’t very comfortable, there was also no office chair to work from instead you had a small stool to sit on. The noise levels from the room were pretty bad as well, which was noticeable from all the street noise at night even around 2AM-5AM. Housekeeping however did a great job every morning and I loved the water pressure in the shower.

F&B:
Breakfast wasn’t included as a part of my rate but I did eat at the hotel restaurant one morning as I had a late start to the day. I don’t recommend eating here as it was very underwhelming for the price you pay (~$20 USD per person). I also had room service the night I checked in since I was tired, unfortunately the doner kebab I order was awful. So, it’s hard for me to recommend the restaurant at all since the quality is bad while prices are high.

Location:
Not too bad for those wanting to do touristy stuff in Istanbul as the funicular to Kabatas isn’t too far away. You can then take the T1 tram from Kabatas to the tourist sites. There are also a lot of restaurants and stores near Taksim Square. The airport bus from the new Istanbul Airport is within walking distance as well since the stop is on the opposite side of the park by Point Hotel.

Would I come back? Probably not since I didn’t find the hotel comfortable at all and didn’t want to deal with a hotel change in the middle of the stay. However, for those who are doing a 1 or 2 night stay and want to be near Taksim Square. I might consider the JW in Karakoy once it opens since the location is much better.

reggiekush

A small entranceway leads up in through security and in through the right to the hotel. The one check in desk did offer a chair though for one person there is no use as there were covid forms and no clipboard to write on so I stood. I was upgraded to a Bosphorpus view room and I didn't once mention an upgrade as I usually do. Though there was no use of my status I was more than happy to accept this upgrade without prying for the obvious garden suite. I'm sure those with higher status/ longer stays/not a single male might accomplish better than I.

The room itself is small as the previous poster has mentioned but the entire sq of each floor is very limited (6 rooms on my floor) so It makes sense how they showcase ground floor garden suites. Breakfast is an additional 20 euro and I won't be partaking though their spa services are offered for a 25% reduction before 2pm. Which would being thr cost down from the original 55 Euro. They also offer discounts on beverages if you download the app which is nice. Bed is at best a regular Thai bed with a soft mattress topping but it is not soft to say the least.

Restaurant on the top floor was open with a wrap around balcony for eating if you choose. Unfortunately my bartender was of little service from actual drink making to the other gratuities once sort of expects.






Blu Restaurant on ground floor

escape4

Thank you reggiekush . Some Design Hotels offer free breakfast for guests Platinum and above, even though they do not have to. Sounds like it's not one of them? Makes it for a lesser value proposition given the numerous Marriott choices in the city.

reggiekush

Unfortunately, this was the case for me. I'm still pretty new to this and some more distinguished members or those who have many years with Marriott might have a better experience. I'm not sure if the FD can see all that info and if it plays into some special perks.