Apr 4, 2019, 6:36 pm
Last edit by: Lefly
This thread is created for passengers with long connections in Istanbul Airport for TK.
PLEASE READ THIS WIKI CAREFULLY (especially the hotel fine print) before posting questions.
TRANSIT HOTEL (different from Stopover hotel):
TK will provide a free hotel to international transfer passengers at IST if:
- Economy Class ticket: connecting time is 12 hours or longer
- Business Class ticket: connecting time is 9 hours or longer
AND this connection must be the shortest possible option. If there is a 3-hour layover available, but you choose the 13-hour one, you are not eligible for the free transit hotel. This also applies if the shorter connection is fully booked: you still won't get the free hotel if there is a theoretical, but sold out, shorter connection.
If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you need to secure it at your own expense.
TK have a pool of hotels that they contract with, it is unfortunately not possible to know which hotel you'll end up at until you are sitting on the bus. Business class passengeres generally get five star hotels and Economy Class passengers get four star hotels. See the list on the bottom of this wiki for usual locations.
Hotel Desk E-Mail Adress: [email protected] - it's generally not necessary to email them, you can just show up
click here for Hotel Desk location
Click here for full Transit Hotel terms/conditions
STOPOVER HOTEL (different from Transit Hotel):
If you are on a round-trip ticket to-from certain cities/countries (click here for the list) and choose a connection longer than 20 hours, TK will provide one night at a four star hotel for Economy Class tickets and two nights at a five star hotel for Business Class tickets (three nights if traveling to/from USA).
At least 72 hours before your first flight, you must send an e-mail to the address that corresponds to your departure point on the list on this page (click here) and include your
full name
reservation code (PNR) or ticket number
date range for the anticipated accommodation
preferred room type (single, double or triple)
telephone and e-mail address
Visas and transfer to/from the airport are not covered by TK.
Click here for eligible origins/destinations and FAQ
TOURISTANBUL:
If you are on an international connection through IST and your connection time is 6-24 hours, you can take a free guided city tour. You must arrive at the hotel desk at least 30 minutes before the tours are scheduled to depart. After clearing immigration and leaving the baggage claim hall, turn right and go to the hotel desk (for location click here).
Touristanbul schedule and FAQ can be found here.
SLEEPING ROOMS:
Business Class and Elite Plus passengers on connections between 4 hours and 9 hours can get a private sleeping room at the M&S and Business lounges. One of the flights must be longer than eight hours and both need to be on TK, codeshare flights are excluded.
-----------------
Please list the hotel that you were provided, travel class, the Miles&Smiles or Star Alliance status of the passenger, the date, your username below and the post # that you have shared in the thread ( you could find the number at the top right side of your posts ) to create a database of passenger experiences.
For example: XXXXXXX Hotel, Business Class, M&S Elite, DD/MM/YYYY, ISTFlyer, #1
April 2019:
Renaissance Polat (Atatürk Airport), Business Class, M&S ELPL, reported by dabee69 in post #54
Renaissance Polat (Atatürk Airport), Business Class, TG*G, reported by bmi_Barry in post #79
May 2019:
Green Park Hotel ( Pendik ), IRROPS, reported by zing2istanbul in (post #753 in the TK ops from IST thread)
Crowne Plaza Aqua Florya, Business Class, TG*G, reported by bmi_Barry in post #91
June 2019:
Westside Arjaan by Rotana, Business Class, M&S ELPL, reported by finlandokie in post #169
PLEASE READ THIS WIKI CAREFULLY (especially the hotel fine print) before posting questions.
TRANSIT HOTEL (different from Stopover hotel):
TK will provide a free hotel to international transfer passengers at IST if:
- Economy Class ticket: connecting time is 12 hours or longer
- Business Class ticket: connecting time is 9 hours or longer
AND this connection must be the shortest possible option. If there is a 3-hour layover available, but you choose the 13-hour one, you are not eligible for the free transit hotel. This also applies if the shorter connection is fully booked: you still won't get the free hotel if there is a theoretical, but sold out, shorter connection.
If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you need to secure it at your own expense.
TK have a pool of hotels that they contract with, it is unfortunately not possible to know which hotel you'll end up at until you are sitting on the bus. Business class passengeres generally get five star hotels and Economy Class passengers get four star hotels. See the list on the bottom of this wiki for usual locations.
Hotel Desk E-Mail Adress: [email protected] - it's generally not necessary to email them, you can just show up
click here for Hotel Desk location
Click here for full Transit Hotel terms/conditions
STOPOVER HOTEL (different from Transit Hotel):
If you are on a round-trip ticket to-from certain cities/countries (click here for the list) and choose a connection longer than 20 hours, TK will provide one night at a four star hotel for Economy Class tickets and two nights at a five star hotel for Business Class tickets (three nights if traveling to/from USA).
At least 72 hours before your first flight, you must send an e-mail to the address that corresponds to your departure point on the list on this page (click here) and include your
full name
reservation code (PNR) or ticket number
date range for the anticipated accommodation
preferred room type (single, double or triple)
telephone and e-mail address
Visas and transfer to/from the airport are not covered by TK.
Click here for eligible origins/destinations and FAQ
TOURISTANBUL:
If you are on an international connection through IST and your connection time is 6-24 hours, you can take a free guided city tour. You must arrive at the hotel desk at least 30 minutes before the tours are scheduled to depart. After clearing immigration and leaving the baggage claim hall, turn right and go to the hotel desk (for location click here).
Touristanbul schedule and FAQ can be found here.
SLEEPING ROOMS:
Business Class and Elite Plus passengers on connections between 4 hours and 9 hours can get a private sleeping room at the M&S and Business lounges. One of the flights must be longer than eight hours and both need to be on TK, codeshare flights are excluded.
-----------------
Please list the hotel that you were provided, travel class, the Miles&Smiles or Star Alliance status of the passenger, the date, your username below and the post # that you have shared in the thread ( you could find the number at the top right side of your posts ) to create a database of passenger experiences.
For example: XXXXXXX Hotel, Business Class, M&S Elite, DD/MM/YYYY, ISTFlyer, #1
April 2019:
Renaissance Polat (Atatürk Airport), Business Class, M&S ELPL, reported by dabee69 in post #54
Renaissance Polat (Atatürk Airport), Business Class, TG*G, reported by bmi_Barry in post #79
May 2019:
Green Park Hotel ( Pendik ), IRROPS, reported by zing2istanbul in (post #753 in the TK ops from IST thread)
Crowne Plaza Aqua Florya, Business Class, TG*G, reported by bmi_Barry in post #91
June 2019:
Westside Arjaan by Rotana, Business Class, M&S ELPL, reported by finlandokie in post #169
August 2019:
Akgun Istanbul, economy class, per post 217
November 2019:
Polat/Renaissance, business-class E+ post 285 (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31699696-post285.html)
December 2019:
Polat/Renaissance again, business-class E+ post 285
December 2020:
Polat Renaissance, business class E+
January 2021:
Polat Renaissance, business class (No Status)
November 2021:
Holiday Inn Istanbul Airport, economy class (No Status), #537
May 2022 Stopover hotelPolat/Renaissance again, business-class E+ post 285
December 2020:
Polat Renaissance, business class E+
January 2021:
Polat Renaissance, business class (No Status)
November 2021:
Holiday Inn Istanbul Airport, economy class (No Status), #537
Sheraton Istanbul Ataköy Hotel, business E+
May 2022
Westside Arjaan by Rotana, Business,*G, Sandy Hopper
Centro by Rotona (transit hotel), Business, *G, Nacho
Sheraton Istanbul Ataköy Hotel (stopover hotel), business, *G, Nacho
July 2022
Pullman, Business,*G, Sandy Hopper
July 2023
Polat Renaissance, business class, TK-E, iamaho
Sheraton Otel Esenyurt - with dinner included, business class, TK-E, iamaho
September 2023
Pullman, Business, *G, SEA-Flyer
Pullman, Business, no status, SEA-Flyer
LaQuinta by Wyndham, Y E+, DaveS
Sheraton Esenyurt, Business, E+, Jaenks, assigned by my request
October 2023
Ramada Plaza Tekstilkent, Business, TK E, Lefly
TK in IST: Thread #3 - Transit and Stopover Hotel, Touristanbul, Sleeping Rooms
Aug 17, 2020, 3:19 pm
#406
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
I can confirm that the hotel desk is open and operational. The exit past customs going right (the direction of the desk) was closed, but that side of the hall is still easily accessible and open once you exit from the left side doors.
That said, the new airport really is way way way out in the middle of absolute nowhere. The hotels they are using are all near the Mall of Istanbul...but unfortunately, the mall is not really accessible unless you have a helicopter. My hotel was only a couple hundred meters away from the mall, but on the wrong side of the freeway interchange. It would have been a 15 minute drive or 2.5 hour walk to get there
Also, I hate to say bad things about a very useful free service, but my driver drove past the hotel and kept going, eventually turning around near the old airport...but only after finding a major traffic jam on the road leading even further out of the way past ISL. In the end, we got back to the hotel about 45 minutes after we first passed it. And I was the only passenger and only stop.
That said, the new airport really is way way way out in the middle of absolute nowhere. The hotels they are using are all near the Mall of Istanbul...but unfortunately, the mall is not really accessible unless you have a helicopter. My hotel was only a couple hundred meters away from the mall, but on the wrong side of the freeway interchange. It would have been a 15 minute drive or 2.5 hour walk to get there
Also, I hate to say bad things about a very useful free service, but my driver drove past the hotel and kept going, eventually turning around near the old airport...but only after finding a major traffic jam on the road leading even further out of the way past ISL. In the end, we got back to the hotel about 45 minutes after we first passed it. And I was the only passenger and only stop.
The Mahmutbey Basın Ekspres intersection might be one of the most crowded and one of the worst intersections in Turkey in terms of traffic. That area is supposed to be an industrial zone, however, they have built numerous of hotels over there.
By the way, Mall of İstanbul has a free shuttle service to most hotels; however, on the way back to the hotel, you would need to show a receipt minimum of ₺30 ( around $4 ) that you have spent in any vendor ( including cinema, food outlets, cafés, play zone, supermarket ) in the mall.
For those who wish to check the hours of that shuttle service: https://www.mallofistanbul.com.tr/ulasim ( Refer to services Oteller or Oteller 2 )
Aug 26, 2020, 1:42 pm
#407
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,333
I was able to take advantage of this service again for a 13 hour layover following a midnight arrival on my return segment. Unlike the empty bus I had on my outbound layover, this time they packed all of us into one very full minibus, with only one hotel destination, the Clarion (so much for different hotels for Y and J?). My morning bus back to the airport was not completely full, which was a good thing since the driver refused to turn on the A/C and rolled his window up as soon as we got on the expressway (who needs fresh air in a pandemic??).
Between the delays waiting for buses, heading back to the airport way too early (4 hours in a lounge devoid of food or alcohol is just as exciting as it sounds), and the long distance from the airport to the hotels, I would have to say that this service is definitely best avoided for layovers under 13-14 hours. The Yotel is looking very attractive right now, and the landside rates are really not that bad. All in all, I really miss the old airport. This new one is big, but that is about all I can say about it, as it looks like every other airport built in the last 20 years and the location is horrendous.
Between the delays waiting for buses, heading back to the airport way too early (4 hours in a lounge devoid of food or alcohol is just as exciting as it sounds), and the long distance from the airport to the hotels, I would have to say that this service is definitely best avoided for layovers under 13-14 hours. The Yotel is looking very attractive right now, and the landside rates are really not that bad. All in all, I really miss the old airport. This new one is big, but that is about all I can say about it, as it looks like every other airport built in the last 20 years and the location is horrendous.
Aug 27, 2020, 5:12 am
#409
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
If your connection is the shortest connection possible, you would be eligible for the hotel service.
If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you need to obtain an e-visa or visa-on-arrival, when you arrive at IST clear passport control, exit the baggage claim hall, turn right after leaving and then proceed to the hotel desk.
Aug 27, 2020, 8:06 am
#410
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 2
Hi Starrofuss and welcome to FlyerTalk,
If your connection is the shortest connection possible, you would be eligible for the hotel service.
If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you need to obtain an e-visa or visa-on-arrival, when you arrive at IST clear passport control, exit the baggage claim hall, turn right after leaving and then proceed to the hotel desk.
If your connection is the shortest connection possible, you would be eligible for the hotel service.
If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you need to obtain an e-visa or visa-on-arrival, when you arrive at IST clear passport control, exit the baggage claim hall, turn right after leaving and then proceed to the hotel desk.
Also, since it's a connection flight, I don't need to worry about my baggage, right? It'll be transferred automatically?
Aug 27, 2020, 11:21 am
#411
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Yes I've checked all the flights going from Nuremberg to Istanbul and Istanbul to Manila and mine was the only connection so I think I am eligible. I've emailed the help desk also to confirm if I am eligible. I'll just get my e-visa and go to the hotel desk.
Also, since it's a connection flight, I don't need to worry about my baggage, right? It'll be transferred automatically?
Also, since it's a connection flight, I don't need to worry about my baggage, right? It'll be transferred automatically?
You could either drop your bags at the baggage storage facility at the airport ( for a fee ) or take it to the hotel with you.
Aug 27, 2020, 4:56 pm
#413
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Also both Turkey and the USA does not require a COVID certificate at entry.
And, its better to purchase an e-visa beforehand.
Dec 5, 2020, 3:19 am
#414
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,654
I stayed in the Yotel landside on Saturday night. It was a god experience, but a word of warning. When I came to pay by card, I did not notice until too late because I was not wearing my glasses, but the receptionist selected the option to pay in GBP without asking me. That meant my stay cost almost as much in GBP as the price originally quoted in EUR. If it happens to you, hit cancel and ask to pay in EUR or Turkish Lira if that is how you were quoted. It will save you several percent because of the bad rate the local card processor gives.
Last edited by DaveS; Dec 6, 2020 at 2:10 am
Dec 6, 2020, 2:46 am
#415
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 11,840
Yes, it is called DCC and is very common in some countries and some vendors. You need to look out for it because quite often you will not be asked if you want to pay in your own currency or local currency - the vendor will just select your currency as default. Close to a scam IMO. Always select to pay in the local currency and let your cc do the conversion.
I can't recall having experienced this in Turkey though.
I can't recall having experienced this in Turkey though.
Dec 6, 2020, 2:55 am
#416
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,654
Yes, it is called DCC and is very common in some countries and some vendors. You need to look out for it because quite often you will not be asked if you want to pay in your own currency or local currency - the vendor will just select your currency as default. Close to a scam IMO. Always select to pay in the local currency and let your cc do the conversion.
I can't recall having experienced this in Turkey though.
I can't recall having experienced this in Turkey though.
Dec 6, 2020, 6:01 am
#417
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
. Certainly it makes life easier for those who need to itemise expenses (but don't give a hoot about cost); and maybe tourists are reassured by seeing charges crystalised into their home currency - but, as SK AAR correctly puts it, they are being misled. OK, scammed.Of course, there's just the smidgen of a possibility the urge to steer you to DCC is driven by less by altruism, more by kickbacks from the bank benefiting from those exchange rates. A couple of percentage points on a few tens of thousands dollars of daily hotel turnover adds up to a handy annual bonus for reception staff - or a big annual bonus for their manager.
It annoys me so much I've insisted on refunds from hotels for this shady practice. That they've all recalculated the bill and made a refund is an indication they recognise that shadiness. Or maybe they're resigned to dealing with a nutter
Dec 7, 2020, 10:49 am
#418
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: oneworld, * Alliance, Marriott Bonvoy, HHonors, WoH
Posts: 2,120
Polat Renaissance, drive time 55 minutes. Suite upgrade( 23rd floor) and the option of free soft drinks plus one alcoholic drink in the lobby floor bar during Happy Hour as Bonvoy Titanium member. Transfer pick up was earlier than the start of the breakfast.
Dec 25, 2020, 9:03 am
#419
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BRU
Programs: Miles&More SEN; ITA Premium, Asante Gold, IHG Platinum, BAEC Bronze, Accor Silver, Radisson Premier
Posts: 270
Hi, we have a flight arriving in on 1st Jan from CUN in J. We were originally scheduled to transfer to the 8.20am flight to KIV on 1st. That was then cancelled and moved to 8.10pm. The 8.10pm flight is now also cancelled and we've been put on to the same flight the next evening (2nd). So our transit has turned from a 2hr40m transit to a 36hr + transit. We haven't accepted the change yet, and there is also a flight to KIV 8.20am on the 3rd (There is also a scheduled CUN-IST flight on 2nd that would get us in and back to our original connection time. But we don't really trust that there won't be more cancellations and the absolute latest we can arrive in KIV is 3rd due to quarantine regs - you can't leave Moldova until 14 days after arrival - or you can with a hefty fine (hence the original unattractive NYE overnight flight). Given this context I have a couple of questions:
1. With such a long transit, is there any way to get a boarding pass on arrival in IST or when checking in for the flight to KIV (dep +48hrs beforehand, arrival in IST +36hrs until the connection?
2. If the answer to the above is yes, can we stay airside in the Yotel for the duration of our transit, using first the hourly system, and then an overnight?
3. If the answer is no, what do you think the best course of action is - spend the 36hrs transit in landside Yotel (with a 5.40am arrival we'd want to try our best to get in somewhere quickly and not wait around anywhere without somewhere to sleep for a long number of hours), or take a chance that the flight on 3rd at 8.20 am to KIV won't be cancelled and try to see if TK will change our flights to leave CUN on 2nd and arrive in KIV on 3rd?
I know obviously with so many cancellations and changes it's hard to tell, but no option looks particularly attractive to us given our deadline of getting into KIV.
Thanks in advance
1. With such a long transit, is there any way to get a boarding pass on arrival in IST or when checking in for the flight to KIV (dep +48hrs beforehand, arrival in IST +36hrs until the connection?
2. If the answer to the above is yes, can we stay airside in the Yotel for the duration of our transit, using first the hourly system, and then an overnight?
3. If the answer is no, what do you think the best course of action is - spend the 36hrs transit in landside Yotel (with a 5.40am arrival we'd want to try our best to get in somewhere quickly and not wait around anywhere without somewhere to sleep for a long number of hours), or take a chance that the flight on 3rd at 8.20 am to KIV won't be cancelled and try to see if TK will change our flights to leave CUN on 2nd and arrive in KIV on 3rd?
I know obviously with so many cancellations and changes it's hard to tell, but no option looks particularly attractive to us given our deadline of getting into KIV.
Thanks in advance
Dec 25, 2020, 12:36 pm
#420
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: oneworld, * Alliance, Marriott Bonvoy, HHonors, WoH
Posts: 2,120
Hi, we have a flight arriving in on 1st Jan from CUN in J. We were originally scheduled to transfer to the 8.20am flight to KIV on 1st. That was then cancelled and moved to 8.10pm. The 8.10pm flight is now also cancelled and we've been put on to the same flight the next evening (2nd). So our transit has turned from a 2hr40m transit to a 36hr + transit. We haven't accepted the change yet, and there is also a flight to KIV 8.20am on the 3rd (There is also a scheduled CUN-IST flight on 2nd that would get us in and back to our original connection time. But we don't really trust that there won't be more cancellations and the absolute latest we can arrive in KIV is 3rd due to quarantine regs - you can't leave Moldova until 14 days after arrival - or you can with a hefty fine (hence the original unattractive NYE overnight flight). Given this context I have a couple of questions:
1. With such a long transit, is there any way to get a boarding pass on arrival in IST or when checking in for the flight to KIV (dep +48hrs beforehand, arrival in IST +36hrs until the connection?
2. If the answer to the above is yes, can we stay airside in the Yotel for the duration of our transit, using first the hourly system, and then an overnight?
3. If the answer is no, what do you think the best course of action is - spend the 36hrs transit in landside Yotel (with a 5.40am arrival we'd want to try our best to get in somewhere quickly and not wait around anywhere without somewhere to sleep for a long number of hours), or take a chance that the flight on 3rd at 8.20 am to KIV won't be cancelled and try to see if TK will change our flights to leave CUN on 2nd and arrive in KIV on 3rd?
I know obviously with so many cancellations and changes it's hard to tell, but no option looks particularly attractive to us given our deadline of getting into KIV.
Thanks in advance
1. With such a long transit, is there any way to get a boarding pass on arrival in IST or when checking in for the flight to KIV (dep +48hrs beforehand, arrival in IST +36hrs until the connection?
2. If the answer to the above is yes, can we stay airside in the Yotel for the duration of our transit, using first the hourly system, and then an overnight?
3. If the answer is no, what do you think the best course of action is - spend the 36hrs transit in landside Yotel (with a 5.40am arrival we'd want to try our best to get in somewhere quickly and not wait around anywhere without somewhere to sleep for a long number of hours), or take a chance that the flight on 3rd at 8.20 am to KIV won't be cancelled and try to see if TK will change our flights to leave CUN on 2nd and arrive in KIV on 3rd?
I know obviously with so many cancellations and changes it's hard to tell, but no option looks particularly attractive to us given our deadline of getting into KIV.
Thanks in advance
2. TK provides up to 2 nights of accommodation( a shortest connection time applies), so when you arrive to IST and the next flight to KBP is on the 2nd at 8:10PM, you will get a free hotel and meals on landside( I have got always Renaissance Polat). Use Fast Track border control when entering to/from Turkey and TK Hotel desk is on the right side maybe a 150m away when exiting to terminal through arrivals hall door. Of course you can stay in airside Yotel hotel and pay for two nights.
3. I would choose IST-KBP on 2nd.