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
#91
Join Date: May 2009
Location: TPE
Programs: TG*G
Posts: 74
Quick update on my return trip. I'm currently on a 20 hour (!) layover between flights from Lagos and to Taipei. Today, it was only about 20 mins from arriving at the desks until being on the bus (and Sunday morning traffic meant a 30 min trip to the hotel). I'm currently at the Crown Plaza. I'd rate the room around the same as the Renaissance, the rooftop restaurant is great though with an impressive view. The free lunch was great (3 courses + drink).
The Marmaray train station is only a 5 min walk away which made it easy to get into the city for a wander. There's an upscale shopping centre next door. The foodcourt has a particularly impressive selection of kebab shops!
The only downside is the friendliness at the hotels desk in the airport. The staff are truly miserable and occasionally angry at customers/each other. This seems to stem from a lack of organisation. A group of economy passengers who clearly didn't understand any English or Turkish were poorly herded towards their bus and a few were left behind. They were promptly shouted at by the staff member. Seems like an easy thing to fix.
The Marmaray train station is only a 5 min walk away which made it easy to get into the city for a wander. There's an upscale shopping centre next door. The foodcourt has a particularly impressive selection of kebab shops!
The only downside is the friendliness at the hotels desk in the airport. The staff are truly miserable and occasionally angry at customers/each other. This seems to stem from a lack of organisation. A group of economy passengers who clearly didn't understand any English or Turkish were poorly herded towards their bus and a few were left behind. They were promptly shouted at by the staff member. Seems like an easy thing to fix.
#92
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Quick update on my return trip. I'm currently on a 20 hour (!) layover between flights from Lagos and to Taipei. Today, it was only about 20 mins from arriving at the desks until being on the bus (and Sunday morning traffic meant a 30 min trip to the hotel). I'm currently at the Crown Plaza. I'd rate the room around the same as the Renaissance, the rooftop restaurant is great though with an impressive view. The free lunch was great (3 courses + drink).
The Marmaray train station is only a 5 min walk away which made it easy to get into the city for a wander. There's an upscale shopping centre next door. The foodcourt has a particularly impressive selection of kebab shops!
The Marmaray train station is only a 5 min walk away which made it easy to get into the city for a wander. There's an upscale shopping centre next door. The foodcourt has a particularly impressive selection of kebab shops!
At the moment I'm staying at Park Inn Odayeri, this is indeed located in the middle of nowhere ��, even the taxi driver had no clue and wondered why I wanted to go there until he saw the hotel.
Last edited by vincewy; May 8, 2019 at 1:48 pm
#94
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver,, Oman Air Gold
Posts: 747
i am staying there in September and the hotel has offered transfers at 25 each way which seems a lot for such a short journey.
Any advice on if they will call a metered taxi, etc would be very welcome.
#95
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
Probably J, his first leg was in J. Understood from the 9-hour stopover service that he reported.
Definitely, a metered taxi would cost no more than ₺50.
25 is probably a tourist scam. If you have the time and if your schedule permits, use the municipality bus 48K from the hotel to Göktürk district and use the Havaist from there.
25 is probably a tourist scam. If you have the time and if your schedule permits, use the municipality bus 48K from the hotel to Göktürk district and use the Havaist from there.
#96
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Probably J, his first leg was in J. Understood from the 9-hour stopover service that he reported.
Definitely, a metered taxi would cost no more than ₺50.
25 is probably a tourist scam. If you have the time and if your schedule permits, use the municipality bus 48K from the hotel to Göktürk district and use the Havaist from there.
Definitely, a metered taxi would cost no more than ₺50.
25 is probably a tourist scam. If you have the time and if your schedule permits, use the municipality bus 48K from the hotel to Göktürk district and use the Havaist from there.
From the hotel I took their transport offer to the airport and it's 75TLR.
A riskier but money saving method, I see taxies coming quite often dropping people off, see if you can just flag them to take you back to airport.
Odayeri reminds me of the rundown, dilapidated, economically depressed areas in the southeast like Diyarbakir.
Last edited by vincewy; May 6, 2019 at 10:56 am
#97
#98
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
It's manned but when I asked if it's going to immigration they just told me to proceed.
Even if they ask why I could just tell them I found hotel outside during my long connection. I'll use this during my layover on my return trip and will report back if there's any issue.
Even if they ask why I could just tell them I found hotel outside during my long connection. I'll use this during my layover on my return trip and will report back if there's any issue.
#99
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Vincewy, could you tell us how easy it was to get back to IST from the Park Inn, please?
i am staying there in September and the hotel has offered transfers at 25 each way which seems a lot for such a short journey.
Any advice on if they will call a metered taxi, etc would be very welcome.
From the hotel depends when you leave, in mid morning to early afternoon you might just want to flag taxies coming in to save money but I'd just arrange with hotel for peace if mind if it's only 75TLR
#100
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver,, Oman Air Gold
Posts: 747
Thanks to you and ISTFlyer for both your suggestions.
#101
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Exit on the bottom right side of the pic, this is on the right side.
#102
Join Date: May 2009
Location: TPE
Programs: TG*G
Posts: 74
Return transport was a full sized bus that was 20 minutes late for pick up. It had already been around several hotels to pick up passengers and we stopped at the Wow hotel to pick up some more before getting on the highway back to IST.
In other news, they added my IHG number for my stay. My app suggested I'd earn 12 points (!) for my stay. Interestingly, it also stated how much my stay was costing - 37 euros. My stay was 8am to 9pm.
**edited: I received 400 welcome points but no points for the stay itself **
TK must have made some pretty good deals with these hotels especially now that the Ataturk is closed. It makes me wonder if they'll keep these arrangements going forward since the savings must be substantial.
Last edited by bmi_Barry; May 7, 2019 at 3:39 am
#105
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 3
Hi. I am travelling to Venice via Istanbul in October. I have a 20 hr stopover .I land in Istanbul at 10.45am and my flight to Venice leaves at 6.55am the next day. I am planning to do some sightseeing in Istanbul for the afternoon. As per Turkish Airlines I can avail the free hotel option and this is likely to be in the city centre, . However with the new airport in Istanbul being nearly 50km away from the city centre, I was wondering what to do as I have to report to the airport 3 hrs in advance which is 4am and that means I would need to leave the city hotel by max 3am atleast. Do I opt for the free hotel option or take the Touristanbul option.
So I was wondering if it is better to keep baggage in the cloak room or through check it in and take Touristanbul and come back evening to the airport and stay in the waiting area or I take the hotel offer, sightsee the city on my own and risk finding transport in the wee hours of the morning to the Istanbul airport. Any views would be appreciated,
So I was wondering if it is better to keep baggage in the cloak room or through check it in and take Touristanbul and come back evening to the airport and stay in the waiting area or I take the hotel offer, sightsee the city on my own and risk finding transport in the wee hours of the morning to the Istanbul airport. Any views would be appreciated,