Novelty Hotel

My flight was canceled because of weather, something completely outside my control. I had a two-day reservation and contacted the hotel to ask for a simple date change, but they refused. The hotel blamed the booking site, while the site said the hotel had denied my request. No one took responsibility, and I was left caught between them. A little flexibility or at least clear communication would have helped. This was very disappointing, and not how customers dealing with unavoidable travel problems should be treated.

The rooms weren't cleaned, breakfast was limited, and no one communicated in English, even in the 21st century. This would be my last choice among Istanbul's lovely hotels. How did they get such high ratings, from friends, family, or people paid to leave them? Never again!

The breakfast was good, and the ladies there made delicious omelettes. We would have liked more choices, such as yoghurt or a toaster for the bread, but it didn't put us off. The staff waited kindly for us when our delayed flight got us in very late, even though check-in had closed. Check-in was easy, and the place was clean and tidy, with a comfortable bed. The price and value were good for our three-night stay in Istanbul. We only discovered the window was broken and had come off its hinges when we noticed how loud the road noise was. It wouldn't shut, so outside sounds disturbed our sleep. The next morning there was an awful sewage smell from a blocked shower drain. We reported both issues. The smell went away, but they only shut the window without fixing it, which reduced the noise but didn't solve the problem.

The staff were extremely kind and helpful, and the room was neat and clean. Though the hotel is in the noisy old town, our room stayed quiet. If you can, choose an upper floor, which is brighter and quieter than the lower ones. I'd recommend it to friends looking for somewhere to stay in Istanbul.