Ramada Encore by Wyndham Istanbul Kartal

The restaurant food was healthy and delicious, and the rooms were cleaned thoroughly every day. Cansu at reception and Selda, the housekeeping chef, were perfect, as was all the staff. Semra from housekeeping was extremely welcoming and did her job 100 out of 10! Mr Mustafa and Huseyin, the restaurant administrators, were excellent and always ready to help. Highly recommend this hotel ❤️❤️❤️

We had a very disappointing stay at Ramada Encore Kartal for the price, and I’m sad I spent my money here. Breakfast was repetitive and uninspiring over our 5-night stay. The bed and pillows were uncomfortable, the room was extremely dark, and the bathroom felt cramped; water in the sink could sit there for hours because of poor drainage. The toilet was unusually high and awkward even for me at 167 cm. The fridge didn’t work, and there were no bellboys to help with our 5 luggages. When we asked for a “Do Not Disturb” sign, none was provided, and technicians came into the room to fix the lights without permission. Front desk staff made little effort to arrange a suitable taxi for our 5 luggages. Most reception staff seemed disinterested or unfriendly, except for one helpful gentleman on the first night and a blonde lady who stood out positively. Housekeeping staff were very helpful. Despite the Ramada name, the hotel fell short on basic standards, and I strongly don’t recommend it for any kind of stay.

A good choice for a short visit if you want a streamlined stay. The room was medium sized, well equipped, and had an especially impressive shower. The bodywash smelled nice, and although the room faced the street, it was surprisingly quiet. Staff were warm and helpful; the restaurant served decent food, and breakfast had varied options of satisfactory quality. The gym is quite small and has limited equipment. If you need to get to the airport, keep possible traffic delays in mind.

The Asian-side location suited what I was there for, and the room had good amenities. Room service was a bright spot: the pizza was great, as was the sandwich. But the hotel was part of a package deal advertised as 4 star, and I’m not convinced it deserves that. It smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, with ashtrays in the room and in the hallways by the elevators. Even three days after checkout, my nose still felt burned from the smoke. The windows seemed like single panes, and I could hear everything: passing cars, people talking, music, and car alarms that went off for 4 hours straight. Not enjoyable at all. The “buffet” breakfast was terrible. By 7:30 or 8 am, there were only scraps of vegetables, French fries, and some kind of tomatoe sauce thing, plus a small selection of cheese and breads. Very underwhelming, with few vegan options. They said room service made up for it, but the good pizza and sandwich don’t balance out the smoke or the fact that it’s about 1 hour from Istanbul airport and the grand bazaar.