From what I understand from this thread is that one has to email [email protected] in advance to get a room. I emailed them and got this response with my itinerary below that and my transit time highlighted in green...

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Dear Piper,



Unfortunately pre-booking is not possible. Passengers must contact with hotel desk when they arrive to the airport.

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What do I do now?

Emailing the hotel desk before is advised, but not mandatory. I never did this. I always went to the hotel desk when I landed in IST and they gave me a hotel on the spot. You should be fine as long as your connection qualifies for the layover hotel.

Hi everyone, I want to confirm some logistics. I am flying from AUH->ISL->ATH for a 13 hour layover during the day time and intend to check out the city.

Therefore I should:
1. Get boarding pass for AUH->ISL, & ISL->ATH, in AUH if possible (checked luggage is expected to check all the way through to final destination ATH as layover is <24hours, therefore I should be able to get the ISL->ATH boarding pass)
2. Arrive at ISL and go straight to passport control (and NOT transiting passengers)
3. Tour around Istanbul
4a. Arrive back at ISL and go directly to security if I already have the ISL->ATH boarding pass
4b. If I am not able to get my ISL->ATH boarding pass in AUH, then I should go to the check in counter and get my boarding pass
5. Head to international departures

Thanks!

I travelled through Istanbul on Wednesday morning on my way from Taipei to Accra in business. The transfer time was scheduled for 9 hours 15 minutes which technically meant that I wasn't eligible for a sleep room in the lounge. With this in mind, I thought I'd give the hotel option a try even though my flight was 35 mins late landing (and took another 30 or so to get to the gate from the runway). Coming through the airport wasn't difficult and I was landside within about 20 mins even though the signage wasn't clear. There is a fast track for business class Turkish flights though there is no Turkish Airlines branding on it (it is signed as 'fast track').

To get to the hotels desk, go through immigration, the baggage hall and customs. On exiting, you need to turn right and walk past all the hotel/tour desks to the end. There, you get a ticket and speak to an agent (there's no separate queue for business class passengers). I was there before a queue formed but after, I would guess it was at least a 20 min wait to see the desk. From there, it was a long wait for the hotel confirmation and bus to the hotel.

It's unclear where you should wait after handing over your boarding pass and waiting for the confirmation but there is a seating area about 20 metres away near the long escalator. The staff come over and collect you from there when your bus is ready.

Departing the airport at 7:15, we arrived at the Renaissance Polat just after 8. Traffic on a Wednesday wasn't bad.

With my flight departing at 14:40, they wanted me to take the the 10:00 Turkish Airlines shuttle back to the airport which would have been far too little time at the hotel. There was a hotel run shuttle an hour later that was bookable for 7 euros that gave me an extra hour at the hotel. The shuttles seem to run fairly irregularly but are clearly posted. Free breakfast was offered and for the others with later departures back to the airport, a voucher for lunch was provided.

The hotel is in good shape and had a very comfortable, clean and modern room. It is in a quiet neighbourhood just south of the old airport. I got a run in on the coast path that goes for 5km starting from the foot of the hotel towards the south-west. Lots of walkers out as well and there were a few restaurants/cafes on the sea front.

All in all, I likely wouldn't do this again on a connection of less than 10 hours given the hassle getting to the hotel. 10 hours and above and its a great option.

On a side note, when I got to the lounge, the internet wasn't working and didn't work for the two hours I was there. The usual back up option of airport wifi wasn't possible since it seems that you need a Turkish SIM to receive the SMS to activate access. I missed two meetings which was annoying but the excellent food selection took the sting off a little!

The logistics that you have provided would suit you. I don't see any problem.

Great information!
2 questions :

1. when you write "get a ticket" above, what kind of ticket are you referring to. Where/who do you get this ticket from?

2. How long between handing in your boarding pass and having them come and get you with the hotel reservation and vouchers when the transfer bus is ready?

No problem - happy to help.

By 'ticket', I mean the queue number.

Between handing over my boarding pass to being called for the bus to the hotel was 45 to 50 mins. We were delayed by the group of smokers that had to be found before we could go - in total, it was just over an hour before the bus departed. This does seem a bit excessively long and I wonder if it is partly due to the hotel being so much further from the new airport compared to the old. They don't want to send a bus with one or two passengers so they wait longer for a bigger group?

I agree with SFO Traveller - it would be better if there was a closer option, especially if it is near good public transport into the city. That would kill two birds with one stone by being attractive for shorter and longer layovers.

found it :)

Can anyone who has recently gone on the Touristanbul tour from the new airport confirm the following?
This is from the Touristanbul FAQ website (https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-c...faq/index.html)

"Is there a baggage room for our belongings while we are in Touristanbul?

There is baggage custody office next to Hotel Desk with a service fee. You may check the conditions and prices. If requested, Touristanbul participants can leave their baggage (unless they are electronics or precious items) to the assigned tour shuttles at their own risk. In this case Turkish Airlines is not responsible for any lost and damaged items."

Can anyone confirm whether there is indeed a baggage custody office next to the Hotel Desk?

Thanks!

Thanks for the detailed summary! My upcoming transit is also just under 10 hours.... Perhaps I will stay in the airport or join the Tour Istanbul instead.

Btw, did you manage to request Renaissance to credit your "2 hours stay" to your Marriott account?

That never worked for me, since it is technically TK's booking, not your own booking.

This is the part I miss about the old airport. I did TPE-IST-YYZ 2 years ago, I was able to get to hotel desk, immediately they gave me the voucher and sent me off to Polat.

Half hour after the gate opened I was laying on the bed (that was a record for me from arrival-to-bed).