Key Otel

We booked two rooms here for one night. The visit started off great. We were greeted graciously with cool and refreshing drinks.
Things went downhill from there. The two rooms were to be identical but they were only identical in price. One was much larger than the other and had more enmities. Both did have a view of the harbor. Lovely. These were the most technologically advanced hotel rooms we have ever stayed in. While super cool this turned out to be the hotel’s downfall.
The room that we were staying in worked fine the but the other room went techno AWOL. The lights would turn on and off randomly. Mostly off. A problem after dark. The blinds wouldn’t work. The toilet wouldn’t flush. Huge problems. The front desk was advised. They tried to «reboot» the room but to no avail. We asked to have the room changed but the kept telling us they would fix it and they couldn’t move anyone. This went on for hours. It was quite late. Finally we got another room — lower class.
This is a huge problem that if the room goes wrong that they can’t fix it. We asked for a refund in the morning but had to fight for it. They finally agreed and we did get the refund but never any apology for the problems.

I have a hard time writing this review. When we walked in we were truly wowed… The bank-​turned hotel is fancy and sleek beyond imagination; the doors rely on touch-​pads to open; everything is remote-​controlled; there is a mirror above the bed; they give you free homemade chocolates and juice upon arrival. The whole situation is top-​notch. The sea view rooms are truly resplendent, especially the corner ones which are probably double the size of the hallway ones.
BUT what happens when the machines become self-​aware? We came back from a night out in Izmir and all of the lights in our hotel, along with the blinds (and the bathroom curtain wall!)– all of which are controlled electronically– were turning on and off, going up and down completely on their own at random intervals. It was impossible to sleep, impossible to use the toilet, and even just frustrating to sit in. So we called down to the front desk and we were told that maintenance would get on it.
15 minutes pass, no word from the front desk. We’ve been sitting in intermittent darkness and light the whole time, with no control over the environment. I call down again and get the same answer. 15 minutes pass again. I call down again and ask to be moved. I am told there are only city view rooms available. I ask if that means I will be refunded the difference, as we have prepaid for a sea view. The front desk manager says he will find out and call back.
15 minutes pass again. No word. I call down again and he says that maintenance is still working on the issue. I say I don’t care, that I just want to be moved at this point and refunded the difference. He says that he will keep talking to maintenance.
So after an hour of this, I go down to the front desk in person and ask to be moved. The front desk guy tells me that he can move me, but I will not be allowed to move my bags into the new room. I ask why, and he just keeps repeating that my bags can’t come with me. I try asking in English and Turkish, he does not explain.
At 1:30 am, we get the key and head to our new room, of course bringing our bags with us. In the morning we have a very confusing breakfast with almost no service, before having a conversation with the girl now at the front desk.
In the end, she said she would talk to Expedia in order to get the whole room refunded, which is a satisfactory outcome. But they remediated a problem that got out of control in the first place and should have been handled completely differently. So it’s hard to say whether I’d recommend this hotel to others, since I can absolutely see how it would be an impossibly wonderful place to stay. It just wasn’t for us.

No complaints. Boutique hotel, modern and very comfortable. The service was the best. The price was reasonable and the food was great. It’s close to many things including good restaurants and shopping and right on the water.

Excellent hotel! Very comfortable and modern! You can walk along Izmir’s waterfront. Nice Pier shopping mall right next to it. Location, location, location!

We included Izmir in our trip to Istanbul last year. We wanted to go to Ephesus, and hence stayed at the Key Hotel for 2 nights. We stayed at the executive suite overlooking the sea.
Staying at a boutique hotel in a city you have never been to can be risky, but Key Hotel exceeded all our expectations and beyond!
My husband enjoys nice hotel rooms and suites and we have stayed in very nice rooms over the past couple of years but I have to say this was by far the best! It was so chic and modern, our room was 560 sq feet and the balcony must be about 300 sq feet. We had remote controls to fold/​unfold the blinds, dim the lights, set alarms etc. Since we were taking the tour to Ephesus the next day, we set alarms for early morning, when the alarms went off the blinds opened as well. It was super cool!
The bathroom! Very big bathroom, very modern. Highlight was the rain shower and the Jacuzzi!
The view was breathtaking! An unobstructed view of the sea, there is a strip mall on the harbor less than a 5 minute walk away. Its a very quiet and refreshing place and the staff was extremely polite.
One of the best things about staying at a small boutique hotel is that since there are such few rooms, you are treated like royalty! :)
I highly recommend staying at this hotel!

Had a little jaunt down to Izmir to head out to Ephesus and possibly to see Cesme (a little sea town). The Key Hotel was our HQ for 2 days. The hotel sits right on the water, so if your pocketbook can stand a $ 1,000/night set back, knock yourself out and get you one of those «sea view» rooms. Since this trip was already hitting my bank account pretty hard, I opted for the more economic alternative — the «city view» room. Still, the hotel was a steal on one of those hotel sites for what you get.
The service is impeccable. The staff is very friendly and are all empowered to make guests feel most comfortable. The rooms … now … the rooms are another story all together — WAY beyond impeccable! I seldom have the opportunity to stay in one of those highfalutin hotels here in the states. This place amazed me. By nature (nor profession), I am not a techie geek (contrary to popular belief — my life in IT at the world’s largest telecom company is just a façade), but I had the best time with the technology in that room. Everything was operated by a remote — the lights, the television, the iPod dock, the blinds, the alarm, the wake up call — EVERYTHING. Way Cool!
The rooms were very large (for Turkey standards), the beds very comfortable with awesome linens (very much my «thing»). The water closet looked like it was straight out of the latest Architectural Digest — all chrome and glass tile. It was gorgeous with the the glass wall looking out into the bedroom (for privacy, they have installed a — again, remote controlled — blind system).
We did have an opportunity to taste the dining menu — they had most anything a traveler would want — I opted for the peppercorn steak, which was well prepared, and served with a side of veggies and couscous.
Great stay in an awesome hotel. If you find yourself in Izmir, I highly recommend the Key Hotel (Key Otel) — Go ahead … splurge for the «sea view room» — you know you want to!