mecabq

Do you mean the new Four Seasons Bosphorous, or the existing one in Sultanhamet? If the latter, then it's hard to compare. I'd rate it as the typical Four Seasons versus the typical W -- the Four Seasons is elegant and intimate, more upscale. The W is more lively. The Four Seasons is also tiny; something like 70 rooms and no pool.

But the most important difference is the location. Most first-time visitors prefer to be in Sultanhamet. The hotel is near the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Grand Bazaar, and other main sights in the old city. It's a touristy area, but of course worth seeing. Having been to Istanbul a lot, I prefer the W location -- just off the Bosphorous, down the hill from Taksim, near Macka, Ortakoy, and Besiktas, three of my favorite neighborhoods. There is a lot more to do just walking around and getting the local flavor in my opinion.

The new Four Seasons Bosphorous is located close to the W. It is supposed to open around July, and I can't wait to stay there. It's rather ugly from the outside, in my opinion, but if the setting is anything like the Kempinski Cirigan Palace just a bit farther down the Bosphorous, it will be worth a try.

Earthman

I'm just back from a stay at the W istanbul.

I willl talk of the new four seasons in a moment as someone was looking for a comparison.

To be honest I have a lot of bads and some goods to say about the place.
Firstly there was no platinum recognition-no amenity of any description offered.
We did get an upgrade from a wonderfull to a spectactular room but it was in the basement.It was like staying in a dungeon.
Theres no bathroom just a shower with a door and a toilet with a door.There was very little light coming in from the tiny patio garden outside.

In fairness,the shower had more water and water pressure than I've seen in a hotel but unfortunately the drain couldn't take it so after 2 minutes in the shower or less the room was flooded.
Another major bad about the hotel is the shocking lack of english with most of the staff.
Turkish is a country unique language and you'd expect a western themed novelty hotel to have staff with a cursary grasp of English.
That made it very difficult to order things especially in the restaurant.
I went without my breakfast because of this on one of the mornings as by the time I got it through to the waiter what I wanted everyone else had finished their american [a word they did understand]

I agree with RobUAIntl that it's best features are its very very comfortable bed and the location.
The terrace bar upstairs was a nice place to relax and have a few beers.

Now onto the new Four seasons.
Theres simply no comparison.The two hotels are in different leagues and price brackets.You can't compare apples and oranges.
We went down there for a look and ended up putting in the evening there and having a very relaxing time wishing that we could stay there next time-that says it all-I left a short post about that visit here .

DrivingRain

Im heading to IST 8/28 for 5 nights for a first time visit to Turkey. I'd be inclined to choose an Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton, but I am often pleased by new build W's. Im getting quoted $90 US/night + 4,750 Spoints/night for the W and have a hard time passing that up given that the prevailing rate is 250+ Euros.

Is that Points & $ offer a good deal?

sfozrhfco

Thanks for the heads up on cash and points availability at the end of August. The website showed no availability so I had booked free nights. Just called and got it switched to cash and points.

Jumpgate

I just completed a 5 night stay at the W in Istanbul and I thought I'd share my experience with everyone. This might get long winded.

Location:

The hotel is located right in the middle of a SUPER trendy and expensive shopping street, Suleman Seba. There is a Marc Jacobs and a Jimmy Choo directly across from the entrance. The W's architecture fits in very well with the brown rowhouse design.

However unless you went to Istanbul only for super trendy shopping, the location really isn't as great as advertised and definitely not the "heart of Istanbul." The Istanbul tram's (light rail) last stop is at Kabatas and the W is in Besiktas. It's a good 15 or 20 minute walk from the tram station to the W. Also, as the W is so new that few taxi drivers really know where it is (I of course can't blame the W for this, and this will improve over time) so definitely have a little map out with the W marked, it will save a lot of grunting and pointing (unless you speak Turkish).

Though the hotel is near a nice enough market area with some good kebab and baklava shops, the main shopping/sightseeing/tourist street is Istiklal. As the crow flies, it doesn't look too far from the W on a map, you just walk through a large urban park to get there. Other hotels (the Hilton, Ritz Carlton, Intercontinental, Sheraton etc.) are all located on the other side of the park right on or next to Istiklal. However, walking through the park on foot really isn't very easy. Not only is it a deep ravine (think lots of uphill walking in the hot August sun), the park also includes lots of consulate and government buildings, and often we'd get turned around by friendly but stern Turkish soldiers while trying to traverse it. Therefore we had to walk all the way around the park (essentially walking the southern border to the Kabatas tram station and then either walking up the hill to Istiklal or taking the funicular) - but that takes a really long time. We ended up spending a lot more on taxis than we originally planned.

Moral of the story ... Our friends stayed at the Hilton and we were very envious of their location by the end of the trip. There are plans to extend the tram up to Besiktas and once this happens the W will be much more convenient but this is likely years away.

Platinum recognition/amenities:

Granted I was on an SPG award stay, so maybe things would be different had I paid. However for me there was no upgrade, no welcome gift, and no plat recognition whatsoever.

Staff:

The staff was very warm and friendly. Always greeting and smiling. I found this refreshing compared to some other W hotels where the staff is purposely cold (I'm beautiful - you're beautiful - don't crease the botox).

Room:

We had a regular King room. It was small but well appointed. The bed was *AMAZING* and the flat screen TV kinda hovered behind a glass wall with some hanging art which was kinda cool. There were a few annoying things about the room that I found increasingly frustrating. There is a rain shower however it is very small and the nozzle on the ceiling sprays water over a wide area. Therefore, there is no way of standing in the shower in any corner and not getting wet (as most people tend to do until they get the temperature right). If you stand outside the shower with the door open, the rain nozzle sprays all over outside the little shower. Before showering we always had to put towels down on a several foot radius outside of it. Of course, I love rain showers, and once you get the temp right and the door closed it's fantastic.

The lights in the room also were a little weird. There was a mirror/sink/vanity area that had two lights in it. One was controlled by a switch, and the other only turned off and on by completely closing some doors that covered the whole area. Therefore if you wanted that light off (say, to sleep) you had to close all the doors. Hence it's impossible to "sleep with the bathroom door open" ... Just a little peeve that got to me.

Common areas:

The lobby and common areas tend to be very very dark (the lobby is practically pitch black) in the W style. This is more of a matter of taste, but for me I find it annoying to walk into a totally dark room in the middle of a gloriously bright Turkish afternoon. There is a beautiful and well appointed lounge area just off the main lobby called "Sip". Great ottomans, beautiful rugs and free wireless.

Amenities (read this part):

This hotel's food and extras are REALLY REALLY REALLY EXPENSIVE. Like insultingly so. Now - I'm not naive, and I've stayed at many many W's (Montreal, San Francisco, Seattle, New York etc.) so I'm speaking from experience. We were appalled to no end by the cost of things from the restaurant, bar, and minibar. Even though I may have "afforded" it, I just wouldn't stand for paying these prices. They were prohibitive and very disappointing as there was no way we could go to our hotel bar or have breakfast at our hotel.

For comparision purposes, right now 1 USD = ~1.16 Turkish Lira. Here are some of the things that we were faced with:

A small bag of cashews from the Minibar = 16 Lira
A vodka soda and a glass of house red wine from the hotel bar (sitting at the bar, not room service or anything) = **44 Lira**
A single serving Smirnoff (tiny bottle) from the minibar = 24 Lira
COFFEE (yes, a single coffee for one person) from restaurant/bar = 9 Lira
Simit (similar to a bagel but smaller that you can buy on the street for half a Lira) and cream cheese = 16 Lira ... with smoked salmon = 32 Lira
ONE specialty cocktail (ala Martini or something) at the hotel bar = 29 Lira
In room Internet per day = 25 Lira

I could go on and on. I'm not exaggerating one bit either. In a country where the USD still has a little power, and restaurants (even nice ones), bars, and cafes are very reasonable, I didn't feel very welcome by these prices at the W. Our friends at the Hilton had access to a club lounge (he's Hhonors Gold) that was stocked all day with free alcohol and a full spread. At the W we felt like we were trapped by these prices. Really unreasonable.

The bottom line:

This is a very aesthetically pleasing hotel with a friendly staff. The rooms are fine and the location is nice but not great for tourists. If you are visting Turkey as a tourist, I wouldn't recommend staying here. Stay at one of the other hotels on the other side of the Park (the Istanbul Hilton was beautiful and also had a large pool with cabanas) that has easy access to the tram, Istiklal, and the funicular. Istanbul is an amazing and unforgettable city and I highly recommend a visit to anyone looking for vacation ideas.

sfozrhfco

Just back from Istanbul and had a great stay at the W. The W insider contacted me ahead of time and made arrangements to have my room ready for my early morning arrival. Received an upgrade to a studio suite (on a cash and points booking) and got several bottles of water and some nuts/dried fruit along with the 500 point welcome gift. Also got a couple of the glass things to ward off the evil eye.

The staff was great and helped my friend and I to navigate a promotion to get free tickets to the Tarkan concert at the Atakoy marina. The neighborhood is nice and as we had been to Istanbul several times before and didn't need to go to Sultanahmet, we were able to explore more of areas around the hotel. Just down the street there are several good bakeries, places to get borek, and some good shopping further up the hill.

The bed was amazingly comfortable. As we both travelled most of the night to get to Istanbul, we intended to take a short nap in the afternoon and ended up sleeping a full 9 hours until 1130PM. Everybody stays out late in the nice summer evenings, so we were still able to go out and get some dinner in the Taksim area. The rain shower was great too and all of the staff we came in contact with were very friendly and knew English well. The concierges were also very helpful. The room had a bose system which connected to an IPOD as well to play music.

The room service costs listed in the menu book actually include tax and delivery so although expensive, by large city hotel standards, the prices were not outrageous. Pasta for dinner (which was very good) was $18 all inclusive which I did not feel was excessive. I've had crappy pizza at LAX airport hotels that cost far more. There are plenty of places to eat in Istanbul in all price ranges so as is the case with any hotel food, if it is too expensive, it is easy enough to get food elsewhere. Having just come from the Sheraton Aleppo which had amazing food for just a couple of dollars, it was definitely a step up but prices of everything in Turkey are more than in Syria. Internet and phone calls were very expensive though it is the same in Egypt so it was not a great surprise. It was around $8 for a local call. It is a little less to buy a Turkcell Sim card so this would be a better option for the next time.

Overall it was a great stay.

By the way, the Sheraton Aleppo was fantastic. It is only around $100/night and has very friendly staff, excellent food, and nice, modern rooms. It is right in the center of the new city and a short walk away from the old city, the souq, and the citadel. It was much nicer than either the Le Meridien Damascus or Lattakia and the staff was very well trained and all spoke excellent English. They were really trying hard to make guests feel welcome. The lounge is nice too and they have a lap top which can be used to check e-mail or do work which was great too. Now that Turkish has a non-stop from Istanbul to Aleppo/Halab/Halap it makes it an easy side trip from Istabul.

Earthman

Agreed.
That was our experience when we stayed there.
Also mirrors our experience.

We were on a fully paid rack rate stay booked through SPG.
As platinum we got no upgrade either and in fact were in what I would consider the worst row of rooms in the hotel-the underground ones.
Our shower also flooded the room.

Yeah they were mostly friendly but some were poor with their English.
Also we had to wait half an hour for our breakfast order one morning and eventually got up and left...

Our shower flooded the room constantly because you couldn't be in it more that a minute or two before the water was above the rim under the door.
The pressure was fantastic but the drain was incapable of taking it away.
That made for a big mess as in the heat,you would shower in the morning and again in the evening.

Yeah,the darkness is a matter of taste and to be expected of a W.
I loved the lounge area and the bar up on the Terrace.It can be very busy of an evening so it's a good place to have a few beers and the service there is very good.
However it was the little things like a decent plat room upgrade,a decent breakfast service and that flooding issue that let me down such that I wouldn't recommend.

kyushuman

Does anyone else have experience of being upgraded to a Suite at this hotel? I see one reply that they got the smallest one, a 'studio suite', which seems like a Junior Suite really. Maybe they have a "no-upgrade" policy for their nicest rooms there? The web site has several suites above the Studio Suite, but nobody here has gotten one.
I think I will email the hotel directly and ask what their policy is, since the replies here seem to show that, even on paid stays, upgrades are sometimes nonexistent.
They have a 3rd night free offer now, at 245 Euros/night for the first 2 nights, which works out to about 163 Euros/night for 3 nights.
A good deal, since most 5* hotels are asking much more.

Andie007

As already mentioned as a PLAT I was upgraded from standard room to "Studio Suite". (stay was on Free Night Award stay)

kyushuman

Yes, I noted that. Thanks!
But there are several other suites in the hotel, and nobody has mentioned them, so I'm wondering if they're that "special" category of unattainable upgrades?

kyushuman

OK, I am SOO glad I stayed here.
Some info on the W Hotel, and IST in general:

1) I must say that, in my 4th trip to IST, I'm glad to be away from Sultanhamet's tourists and touts, and in an area with more "locals". At the bakery I went to for the second day in a row this morning, the old man smiled and put in an extra 2 cookies "for a good customer". So sweet! There are almost no foreigners in this neighborhood, at least compared to Taksim and Sultanhamet. I like that; some people don't.
2) The W (and the other Taksim-side hotels, like Hiltons, Swisshotel, Ritz-Carlton, Ciragan Palace, etc) isn't really the best base to be doing sightseeing over in Sultanhamet, with traffic the way it is, but it's doable if you don't travel at rush hours--or if you don't mind walking the 1km to the Tram from this hotel. Without luggage, it's not a bad walk, really, like 15-20 min.
2) I have never, ever seen a more eager, friendly, helpful staff. Too bad a few hiccups keep happening--no newspaper delivered, and missed wake-up call were two issues in the first day. Handled with huge apologies, however. Plus, it doesn't hurt that they must have had "amazing looks" be part of the staff criteria. In addition to quite good English skills--never a given at an IST hotel. EDIT: This morning, I received THREE newspapers--Yesterday's (missed) USA Today and IHT, plus the Saturday local English paper, with a promise of today's IHT when it arrives. Even a bit of a jaded traveller is impressed.
3) Got upgraded from basic room to a Junior Suite, with a small balcony. This hotel is, truly, gorgeous--outside and in. It's a completely restored historic building a block from some outdoor eating/drinking areas in Besitkas, a 5-minute taxi ride up the hill to Taksim. Nothing is really walking distance, except for this nice small neighborhood with supermarket, bakeries, Doner sandwich (yummy!) places, etc.
4) You can buy a SIM card from a TurkCell dealer for YTL12 for 20 YTL credit, or if you pay YTL22, you get 100 credit. It's nice to have a local cell phone, since my US-based Sprint either doesn't work abroad, or when it does, it's horribly expensive. Of course, you need an (unlocked) cheap mobile, which are hard to find in the weird cell-phone market in the US (but most other countries, mobile phones are sold unlocked--I bought this one in Singapore 2 years ago for about US$70, no camera or internet--just phone, but that's all I need).
5) You can take the Metro and Tram all the way from the airport to Kabatas station, about 1km from the hotel, for YTL2.70 total, and it takes about an hour. Of course, in rush hour, it took almost 30 minutes in a taxi to get that final 1km! That cost about YTL7, though without traffic I think it's about YTL3-4.
5) What a great city--I do like it every time I come. If you've never been, I recommend at least 2 days to see the big sights in Sultanhamet, and then another few to take in the feel of the city in other areas, which have a totally different feel. Great bars and restaurants in the Tunel area, just at the top of the funicular.
6) The Grand Bazaar is cool, but I like the Spice Market even more for a multi-sensory experience. I'm not much of a shopper, and it's not just for tourists, so it's fun to see.
7) I'm amazed at the so-so reviews of this hotel on FT and TripAdivisor; most of them complained about things like expensive internet and breakfast (but to be honest, how many $200+/night hotels have free internet? I wish they did, but I don't rate them lower just because of that). The best is that the most recent TA reviewer gave a lower rating because it was "difficult for taxis to find"! Huh?

Jumpgate

Thanks for the review. I overall agree with your findings (I stayed there for a week in August ... my long review is a few posts up).

A few notes ...

Yes, the staff is extremely amazing - I can't argue there. Overtly friendly, good looking, and flawless English speakers.

It was definitely difficult for taxis to find - but that's just because the hotel is new, and easily remedied by carrying a little map of memorizing the instructions. I can't believe someone actually ranked it lower due to this.

There actually is free internet in the common areas. The "Sip" lounge right off the main lobby is a good example.

I was also impressed with Istanbul to an extreme level. What a fascinating, wonderful city!

Location-wise I disagree with your glowing review. I wouldn't lump this hotel in with "the other Taksim-side hotels, like Hiltons, Swisshotel, Ritz-Carlton, Ciragan Palace" in terms of location. Those hotels are right at the top of Istiklal with very easy access to the tram and/or funicular. Location wise, it is not an easy walk from where the W is to where these hotels are. You have to walk up and down a very steep ravine and avoid some guarded government buildings. Also, as you mentioned the distance to the tram station is "ok", but a big pain during traffic, heat, and/or with luggage.

The local area is great though. There is a fantastic baklava shop just up the street that is open very late. We ended each of our days there! So yes, if you want to mingle among the locals, it's a good place, however for a tourist wanting easy access to the sights in Istanbul, it's not a great base.

Also, as a Platinum, I got no upgrade, welcome gift, or recognition whatsoever. Hopefully your recent stay means they are improving on this.

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!

kyushuman

Thanks for the reply.
My glowing review for location is ONLY meaning that, since it's in an area that not as many tourists go to , I love it--no touts, nobody bothering me walking around, with all the good food, friendlier shopkeepers, and cheaper prices than in Taksim or Sultanhamet.
And I do lump this hotel in with anything else on the Taksim side, in terms of staying here for 1 night in transit, or for those who will be spending all of their time in Sultanhamet: I'd stay in Sultanhamet (also closer to the airport) rather than walking to Taksim square, taking the funicular from there to the Tram, and then taking the tram over the bridge. (and, actually, the Cirgan Palace is farther away than the W!)
If you're in Sultanhamet, you can walk everywhere, and not deal with Istanbul's horrific traffic.
None of those Taksim Square-area hotels look like "destination hotels", where I'd want to put up with 30+ minutes of travel time every day to your sightseeing when there are literally hundreds of Sultanhamet hotels to choose from. Unless you've found an amazing rate, or you're needing the point/stay credit at some of them. IC, Hilton, Hyatt, Swisshotel--all decent hotels, but all are also quite old, and Taksim Square isn't exactly glamorous at night. But there are plenty of places to drink!

blort

YTL 111 for three Bombay Sapphire and tonics

Should have pulled out more cash yesterday when I was getting 1.61 to the dollar!

KSinNYC

We stayed at the W last week for 4 nights using points.

We had considered the W or the Sheraton and after reading some threads here and on Trip Advisor, we decided to stay at the W. I am glad we did. It's in a nice little area, with some fancy shops but a block away from lots of little stores and places to eat quickly and cheaply (a normal neighborhood, nothing more nothing less). The ferry that goes up the Bosphorus leaves from down the street. We had no problems with taxi drivers finding the hotel, it's near a big bus stop and what looks like a Knorr soup factory. A taxi to the Old Town was < 15 turkish lire.

We were upgraded 1 room class when we checked in. They brought 3 apples and 2 small bottles of water for us. (we are SPG Gold) The room was small but had a small little balcony that we liked. The shower was great, 2 sinks in the bathroom. After our 3rd night, we got a note from the front desk saying that there was a leak in our bathroom, would we mind moving rooms to a nicer room. We did, and for various reasons it took a while. They said they would make a note to upgrade us on our next stay. I wish they had offered us some points, as we don't have any plans to return to Turkey in the near future. We gently suggested that, and the desk clerk said he would have the manager contact us at some point. We'll see....

Prices are typical W prices. 31 lire for a day of internet access, 14 lire for an hour, $10 for bottled water, etc.

The staff was very good. Always taking our bags, asking us if we needed a taxi, providing directions, etc. The concierge was very helpful, suggesting itineraries and places to eat.

One thing about Istanbul in general - we found it hard to find people who spoke a lot of English, so it was relatively time-consuming to ask for directions. I would ask the concierge to write down your destination, address and DIRECTIONS in Turkish, unless you are going somewhere very obvious, like the Ayasofia.

Overall, we were happy with our choice at the W and would stay there again.