The Galata Istanbul Hotel - MGallery

The building’s architecture is beautiful and the location is great, but the service felt amateur at best and neglected at worst. This hotel is hiding behind its MGallery name. I strongly recommend staying elsewhere if you care about professional hospitality and basic hygiene. Our arrival was cold and redundant. There was no doorman to help with the heavy doors or luggage on the stairs, and even though we used the Accor App for digital check-in to save time, staff made us repeat the whole process. The bar was completely unattended when we went to use our Accor welcome drinks. We had to ring the counter bell to get anyone’s attention. The bartender seemed confused about what was included and brought two glasses of white wine from an unchilled bottle. He smelled it himself, then poured it straight into our glasses without offering us a taste, which is basic service in a decent restaurant, let alone a five star hotel. Room standards were poor too. The bedding felt dated and uncomfortable. Lipton tea bags and Segafredo pods felt unacceptably budget for a boutique luxury hotel, and the welcome fruit basket was sparse with no local touch. The Hammam was the biggest letdown. There were black spots or mold on the ceiling and a strong damp smell. It was very noisy, with staff and guests slamming corridor doors. Nobody explained the ritual. When the session ended, we were left alone and had to find our own way back to the room without seeing an employee. Hospitality in general was missing. There were no smiles or proactive greetings, just an overall sense that guests didn’t matter.

For his 70th birthday, we took a three day trip to Istanbul, but the hotel made it a bad experience. The breakfast was poor quality, and the bathroom wasn’t very clean, with hairs still in the joints. The rooms were also placed at opposite ends of the hotel even though both were booked under the same name. During our first night, when we were exhausted, the secondary generator started making a terrible noise and shaking the walls. I went down to the lobby in my pajamas to complain. They finally moved us to another room at 1 a.m., then told us to return the first room first thing in the morning. That was quite rude. The next day we asked the manager for compensation, but all he offered was a chocolate plate, which felt ridiculous. We wanted to enjoy our trip, so we dropped the matter. The staff’s rigidity and the lack of compensation turned what could have been a good stay into a poor one. I can’t recommend this hotel.

The location made it easy to reach nearby attractions and restaurants, and the hotel had a welcoming, luxurious feel. Breakfast was varied and delicious. Our room was spacious, spotless, and comfortable, with the amenities we needed for a relaxing stay. From check-in to check-out, the service was outstanding. Every staff member was friendly, professional, and ready to help. I highly recommend it and would gladly stay here again.

The location was good and the room was great. We had a really nice experience at the galata hotel, and the staff were perfect at everything. We enjoyed the beautiful hammam, where they were so gentle and kind with my family and me. Thanks to Shahribanu too for welcoming us warmly and sharing her advice. Thank you again, we’ll come back. I recommend it!