EZETravel

I will be 1 week there and want to go to a hotel with lounge so I can use my plat perks.

Any experience?

Thanks

sammyindc

You will get Plat perks at all FS hotels whether they have a lounge or not. If they don't have a lounge you will get free breakfast in the restaurant 7 days a week.
The list below gives you the hotel options in Istanbul and whether they have a lounge or not:
* Istanbul / Renaissance Polat / OPEN (per website); 7/25/12 update
* Istanbul / Istanbul Marriott Hotel Asia / OPEN; free i-net (per website); 07/25/12 update
* Istanbul / The Istanbul EDITION / No lounge (per website); 07/25/12 update
* Istanbul / Ritz-Carlton / Lounge open on weekends; only for guests who have paid for club level; breakfast for Plats in restaurant; give hostess room # & name; 09/11 update
* Istanbul / Renaissance Bosphorus / NO LOUNGE; Breakfast provided; Provided a card with only ONE time snack (fingerfood - bread and desert) and drink up to 2 person/room between 18-22 hours and served at the lobby level "Living room" area; 02/13 update

alfahund

Istanbul is very big, I would choose the hotel closest to your destination, unless you want to spend hours commuting... in any case the Marriott Asia Hotel has a very nice lounge (been there 3 weeks ago).

EZETravel

I will be 4 days for pleasure. What would be the place to stay?

EZETravel

Are you sure Ritz-Carlton will give us breakfast?

SkiAdcock

No, since the last update for the RC was in 2011. If you do stay there, report back & I'll update the exec lounge sticky. Thx.

Cheers.

lucycan

It should if you book through a STARS agent.

ellie_nz

I've stayed in the Renaissance Polat a few times this year. Club lounge is open 7 days, nice lounge. Not as good as Asia standard but better than the US etc. It is close to the airport and has an airport shuttle and a daily shuttle into town and back which takes about 25 minutes to the Old City. Both times have received a nice sea view but no room size upgrade.

SkyTeam777

Can anyone comment on how interesting the Bosporus views are from the Ritz-Carlton? At the moment, major construction on the stadium in front of the hotel may mar some of the views, but just wondering about the overall quality of the rooms and the lounge offerings? The price is somewhere in the $700-1,000 per night range so wondering if it is worth it. Waterfront Shangri-La and Ciragan Palace are priced a bit higher, but dont come with decent points or lounge access.

UnaCervezaPorFavor

If you get a mid-high level floor, the view should not be a problem. You won't get lounge access as part of your MR membership and it costs about $100 if I remember. I would used 50k points rather than spend that kind of money - the cool thing with this property is you can use those points towards 3 types of rooms (the prices of which are $200 apart!).

As for how interesting the Bosphorus view is, check out for yourself:

SkyTeam777

Wow, that is much better than I thought, thank you!!

UnaCervezaPorFavor

No problem. Make sure you select the Room Type as Front Bosphorus View. This room was on the 9th floor for your reference.

Ladyallenfla

Hello,

I will be headed to Istanbul in June/July and am trying to decide where to stay. I did read that the Renaissance now has a CL. I was also looking at the new hotel Marriott Sisli. Does anyone have any feedback in regards to these hotels?

Bucksmith2000

We stayed for a week at the Renaissance Polat last May on an award....we were very happy with it. Our room (I'm plat) was up high, on the concierge level, with a sea view. As others have stated, rooms are not outsized, but comfortable, and the lounge offerings are quite good. Lounge can be accessed 24 hours. We took a day trip by air to Cappadocia, so proximity to the airport was a plus for us. The hotel is in a leafy, suburban neighborhood, with a couple of serviceable restaurants nearby.

The only real downside of this hotel is the distance to downtown. The hotel has a free shuttle down and back a few times a day, but otherwise you're looking at a $20 cab ride and 20 minutes (a nearby subway-style train downtown was out of service, being repaired....it could be back in operation now) each way. We were not intent on being down in the heart of the city, and the suburban location makes it a good value for paying customers. It would also be a great spot for those with a one- or two-day layover in IST.

cbellero

For information the cost of the Club Lounge access at the Ritz Carlton is 100 EUR plus tax for non-platinums. For platinum guests it is 75 EUR plus tax.