Tag: Istanbul Hotels View All Tags
Park Hyatt Hotels
Park Hyatt Istanbul Gets Delayed Again
October 17, 2008 at 3:20 PM | 0 Comments
Update: A rep just let us know that the hotel does not have a specific opening date. But they are holding a press conference on October 27 and the new opening date (probably mid-November) will be revealed.
Dear Park Hyatt Istanbul,
Remember when you said you were opening September 1? And then you said you were opening October 16? In fact, once you even claimed early 2008.
Well all those times have come.. and they have passed. We're guessing you're not open yet because now your site is telling us "end of 2008" instead of October. And also it won't let us make reservations. Even though we TOTALLY COULD before.
And while hotels do take a lot of work to open, this is a renovated building. It's been standing for almost 100 years! What is taking you so long?
We are able to make reservations starting November 17, but we don't know when you're really opening. We don't believe anything you say anymore. You've shattered our dreams too many times.
Call us (or not) when you're ready to commit.
Love,
HotelChatter
Park Hyatt Hotels
Park Hyatt Istabul Opens With Armani and Gucci Inside
September 3, 2008 at 10:59 AM | 0 Comments
[Update: Despite what the online reservations system initially told us, this hotel is offically opening on October 16th. Online reservations are being taken for stays later than October 18th.]
There are at least two reasons to stay at the new Park Hyatt Istanbul Maçka Palas: Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, and Emporio Armani and Gucci boutiques are in the same building.
Of course, there is also the limestone bathrooms, with 25 of the 90 deluxe-sized rooms featuring authentic Turkish baths with heated stone seats. And it's located smack in the middle of the ultra-trendy shopping district, Nişantaşi, home of some of the best shopping in the world.
Each guestroom is equipped with the latest technology including high-speed broadband Internet access, flat screen television, a DVD/CD player and iPod docking station. And a boutique hotel wouldn't be complete without an exclusive spa and special spa suites.
This renovated 1922 building has a unique blend of the old art deco and new modern architecture found in other Park Hyatts. Glass tile is found in much of the hotel with a "Bordeaux Wall" in The Prime, the first Istanbul steakhouse, made entirely out of wine bottle glass.
The hotel officially just opened September 1 but already appears to be sold out for much of September. Rates start at 230 euros ($336 US).
W Hotels
The New W Hotel in Istanbul is Keeping Everyone Happy So Far
May 20, 2008 at 9:11 AM | 0 Comments
We were quite excited when we learned the W Hotel Istanbul was ready to open earlier this month and it sounds like we're not the only ones. UrbanDaddy just had a visit there and reported back in pretty glowing tones:
If you go with the Extreme Wow Suite (which we know you will, because you're extreme like that), you'll relax from within the bubbling-hot-water confines of a Jacuzzi on your private terrace, admiring the sun dipping under the Bosphorus Strait.
We agree that this sounds like a nice way to enjoy the chaos of Istanbul. The only hiccup seems to be that add-ons like internet access or the kind of necessary process of eating breakfast are all too expensive for most people's tastes, after paying at least $500 for a room. (Yes, people want free WiFi, especially after they pay a high price for a room. Anybody listening?)
Otherwise, all glowing reports so far about the W Istanbul--and apparently its presence has made the whole neighborhood turn funky. We're looking forward to trying out that Jacuzzi some time.
W Hotels
The W Hotel To Open in Istanbul on May 6
April 17, 2008 at 9:05 AM | 0 Comments
The W Istanbul is going to open soon! From USA Today:
The Istanbul hotel will open May 6 with 134 guest rooms, including 26 suites, a spa and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market restaurant.
The hotel is located in a historic building at the end of the Akaretler Row Houses in the Besiktas district, which date to the 1870s but have been newly redeveloped. The site is near the Bosphorus Strait and the trendy Nisantasi neighborhood.
The guest rooms will all have high ceilings and full-length windows along with 32-inch TVs, iPod docking stations and as the website promises, ottomans.
There's also a W-branded gym, Sweat. Interestingly, there's no Bliss spa but the hotel does have treatment rooms where estheticians use Estee Lauder products. However, Bliss products will be found in the room. You know, because god forbid you go to a different country and have to try something new.
Tips
Istanbul Hotel's Caste System
July 21, 2006 at 2:32 PM | 0 Comments
Not sure where to stay in Istanbul? According to Princess Vladka (a blog not a real princess), the place to go is Hotel Uyan. From the looks of it, she's right; the views from this hotel, which overlooks the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Marmara Sea, are killer and give Istanbul a few bonus points.
The hotel's construction was started in 1928, to be an Ottoman house, but it has been updated for today with conveniences we expect like free WiFi and breakfast. According to the Princess, rooms are clean and service is great.
There's just one small catch: never have we seen such a difference in rooms within the same hotel. If you book the small double room you are basically in a closet room that looks like it would have been created for the hired help in some old world, high-class mansion. Book the deluxe suite and you are in a room fit for a king. This creates a sort of caste system within the small boutique hotel. We have to wonder if people will be eyeing your key to see what room you are staying in and judging you accordingly. (But props to the hotel website for accurately depicting the rooms. Notice the TV squeezed next to the corner of the bed.)
We'll only have to assume that the Princess herself, stayed in a deluxe room rather than one of these closet spaces so our advice is this: stay in the standard only if you are looking for a hostel in Istanbul. If it's more you are after then book the damn suite.
Related Stories:
· Istanbul [PrincessVladkaBlog]
· Hotel Uyan Reviews [TripAdvisor]
