The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul

Probably one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed. The highlight: the service from the hotel staff; honestly superior quality for those looking for an unforgetable stay in istambul.

I recently spent four nights at the Ritz Carlton Istanbul. My experience with the hotel was good for the most part, but it’s the small details that count with a company that prides itself with customer service.
First off, once you arrive at the hotel, you’re required to go through TSA-​like security. Although it sounds odd, I’m glad the property does this. I definitely felt safer as a result. Check-​in was efficient. I booked two rooms at least four months ago and requested rooms on non-​smoking floors, which the site confirmed was guaranteed. Unfortunately, the hotel issued us adjoining rooms on a smoking floor, which would have been disastrous for my sister and me. Luckily, the gentleman at the front desk was able to accommodate us. Our rooms were not ready yet, so we ventured up to the club level lounge where there were two lounge areas and some extra sitting room. The club level concierges, who both were friendly, greeted us. After a few minutes our rooms were ready.
The rooms were fairly large for European standards. The décor was nothing too elaborate — think a step above a JW. For the most part, the place was super clean, but there were a couple of random hairs in the shower and the bathtub — not a huge deal but this shouldn’t be happening at a RC. Not surprisingly, the bed was too plush and very uncomfortable for my taste. This is a preference thing due to my decrepit body, and I never expect to get a good night’s sleep a great night of sleep at most hotels.
I found service to be really inconsistent in the hotel. Some of the guys working the front desk were absolutely clueless. The concierges on the club level were hit or miss — either kind of cold to super friendly. If you do have club level access, which by no means is an exclusive thing (100 euros extra for a double occupancy room), see Rashif, one of the concierges. He’s a super nice guy and knows all the best places to hit in the city, whether it is something high end to the best kokorec stand.
One huge plus with this property is the spa, pool and gym. Outside of Four Seasons properties in the states with contracts with Equinox clubs that are attached, the gym at the RC was one of the best hotel gyms I’ve been to. They had more than enough cardio equipment and just about anything you can ask for weights and machine wise. Even cooler was that there was a Pilates reformer! The pool area is absolutely beautiful and a very relaxing place to lounge or even sleep. I’m not a fan of spa treatments, so I cannot comment on the quality of the spa, but the employees were super friendly.
All in all, this was a great stay at the RC. I was pleased with the majority of the stay, but at a property like this, the little things do matter — something that was lacking at times at this RC.

The hotel is located on the «new» side of the city, and very close to Taksim Square.
ATMOSPHERE:
The lobby is modern and contemporary. It’s not a big footprint so everything is close by. I didn’t see any lobby bar or restaurant.
CHECK IN:
Ahmed checked us in. He was very professional & welcoming. We had several issues with our room keys not being able to access the club & room floors.
ROOM:
We were in 1417 which has a view of the city heading up towards the square. There were 2 twin beds pushed together, which were firm yet comfortable, as were the pillows. All the usual amenities were there. Plug adapters are available through the hotel.
BATHROOM:
The all white marble bathroom has only a single basin with all the amenities, glass shower, soaking tub & toilet with bidet.
WIFI:
Free.
CLUB:
It’s located on the 13^th floor with views of the new stadium being built next door, river, and «old» city. They offered nice selections as well as an egg station for breakfast. The beverage refrigerator should be set colder since everyone in Europe is skimpy on ice.
SERVICE:
Most reception staff were professional. Club & valet/​bell staff were great.
CHECK OUT:
Everything went smoothly.
TIP:
Take a cab to & from the airport rather than a private car. Fares were around $ 30 USD one way.
OVERALL:
Nice hotel in an area with similarly priced competitors.

A deal on the Ritz that includes access to the club floor and lounge? Yes please.
Don’t know how my wife got the deal she did. But, I never complain about luxury treatment. In typical Ritz fashion they were on our luggage when the cabbie popped the trunk and had it waiting in our room once we were done going through our orientation with the club level concierge. You read that right, our floor had a dedicated concierge who gave us the lay of the land and explained hours and offerings of the lounge and got us set up with directions and reservations for dinner and a turkish bath.
Our room was wonderfully elegant, exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Ritz. Marble bathroom with all kinds of products and some very cool tiling around the tub. We were upgraded to a room with a Bosphorus view that looked down to the riverside mosque. Comfy bed that we slept like babies in. The room had everything we needed and they left slippers and chocolates for us during evening turndown service.
The lounge was really the kicker here. Again it had spectacular river views. A dining area was off to one side and a full bar and lounge area on the other. Food varied depending on the time of the day. They had prepared hot items and a chef to cook eggs during breakfast. We started every day with breakfast and typically returned for cocktails or snacks in the evening before we set out for dinner. All of the food I had was very good and we loved the desserts and Nespresso station at nighttime.
Service was stellar as always. Front desk concierge was very helpful in not only pointing out the nearest tram stop (Kalabas) and explaining how to use and charge up the Istanbulkart. But, she even had one on hand for us to get us going. Which we left at checkout with a balance to pay it forward. We took the tram all over town and this was a great location. You can walk uphill to Taksim Square or downhill to the river or tram. Valets were great and able to assist us in telling directions to cabbie. That’s a very nice perk for us.
When we realized what we could have spent on breakfast, snacks and drinks that we had in the lounge during our stay it became clear that we got quite the deal. A luxury hotel at a discount is a nice treat. Thank you Ritz Carlton, we’ll see you again.

Typical Ritz Carlton service — and by typical I mean outstanding.
They were not able to accomodate me one night in the middle of a multi week stay in istanbul, (what can I say, I booked late). They made arrangements to make everything as seamless as possible. I had to do minimal packing to change rooms — I let them transfer my laundry, dry cleaning, hanging clothes, and bags to storage. Upon check in 1 night later, everything was all set and they welcomed me with my room all ready to go.
The lounge is absolutely worth it. It makes the large hotel and large city seem so much more like home. Beautiful views too!

Wonderful hotel with perfect service smack dab in the middle of istanbul. We took a room with a bosphorous view so we were in Europe looking out over Asia.
One evening as we cam home from a late night of dinner and dancing there was a piano set up in the lobby with people from all over the world singing songs and a guest was playing the piano. It was magical!
The spa is spectacular.