Downtown Sirkeci Hotel

The room was spacious and really comfortable, and the staff were professional and helpful. They welcome you warmly and seem to mean it. Getting around from the location is convenient, though a taxi can't drive in unless you ask the hotel to call one. That wasn't a big issue for us. Highly recommend!

Breakfast had plenty to choose from, and the staff were very polite and accommodating, doing their best to make the stay comfortable. Thanks to Mr. Harun and Mr. Murat for the great service. The hotel is also reasonably priced for its location, close to Topkapı, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. Don't hesitate to stay here.

I stayed twice during my trip, first for three days and then for two, and both visits had problems. The hotel itself is quiet and beautiful, and the assistant, ougüs, was a respectful, great guy. But the receptionist, kenal, made the experience very bad. He lied to me twice, tried to charge extra for the airport transfer to IST, and the car arrived late. He was rude when answering questions. I've travelled across many countries, from Japan to Morocco, and never dealt with a receptionist this bad. I won't return unless I contact the hotel and learn that he no longer works there. Staff can make you hate Istanbul. On the first stay, my room window looked onto someone else's rooftop, and hot air from the outside AC units made the room hot despite the cool fall weather. The AC wouldn't cool the room either. They told me that when all guests have the AC set to heat, I couldn't set mine to cold, so I had to sleep in the heat. The second room was better, but its toilet water valve was broken. I didn't report it because I already knew what kind of staff I was dealing with.

Mr. Harun was a huge help when my coach was cancelled only a few hours before departure. The hotline and WhatsApp support were only available in Turkish, so he called and spoke with the staff for us, which helped calm us down. The staff here are very nice. I switched from an economy room to a standard one, and the issues went away. The economy room had no window, and the air conditioning couldn't be controlled from the panel. I had to call reception to switch it on, sometimes several times a day to keep the room cool, and I could smell what seemed like cigarette smoke coming through it. If possible, I'd recommend booking a standard room.