Crowned Exclusive Hotel

The room was filthy during my two-night stay: stained sheets with hair on them, visible mold in the bathroom, and rust on every metal fixture. On top of that, the hotel initially refused to check me in because I’d left a negative review about an earlier visit on Google. When I challenged the staff, they admitted they were withholding the room because of that review and said I could stay only if I removed it. This was unsanitary and unprofessional, and felt close to extortion. The whole stay was a nightmare.

Room 601 turned out to be good, with no issues, and matched the photos of the room I’d paid for on booking.com. But only after a lot of arguing did the hotel move me there from room 602, on the top floor, which was opposite. I felt they’d deliberately given me a broken room and advertised my actual one to make more money. I felt deceived and cheated. The bathroom and bedroom floors were slippery after a sewer flood, and there were still hairs from the previous guest in the bathroom. The hair dryer had a broken wire and an unsafe connection to the socket, as shown in my photos. The air conditioner was loud, and sunlight woke me through broken curtains after I’d fallen asleep. The manager said the curtain issue would be fixed, but it still wasn’t sorted that night. They said no other room was available, despite plenty of larger rooms being advertised online. Towels and blankets had red and black stains, and I had to ask for replacements every day. Breakfast was so poor and cheap that we avoided it, even though it was included. Plates and cutlery were left with water and grease on them every day. Staff seemed unhelpful and blamed each other. The reception is nicely renovated to attract customers, but everything else was complete crap. I doubt the feedback scores, since I fell for them. Check that your room matches the photos on booking.com. I can share only four photos here, so I can’t show everything.

The room was cramped and far smaller than the photos online suggested. A fridge built into the closet smelled bad and took up space for clothes. The bathroom was the worst part: mold everywhere, limescale, a tiny shower right by the toilet, a constant dripping showerhead, and a horrible pipe smell like dirty water or sewage. Poor ventilation meant there was no way to get rid of it, and the whole thing felt really unhygienic. The hairdryer cable was damaged at both ends and looked unsafe to use. The light switch was behind the pillows, so it kept turning on whenever I moved in my sleep, making it hard to rest. In general, the place didn’t seem properly cared for, with mold and dust around. I was really disappointed and would never recommend it. It looks nothing like the Google pictures.

We booked two rooms at Crowned Exclusive Hotel after seeing good reviews on Booking.com, but they were very small and cramped. The bathrooms had broken tiles and a broken shower, and a disgusting smell spread into the rooms. Cleanliness and maintenance were far below basic standards. When we raised our concerns, the front desk staff were unprofessional and unhelpful. We left that same day and found another hotel. They then told Booking.com that we hadn’t shown up. This ruined part of our holiday. If you want to enjoy your time in Istanbul, don’t stay here.