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Review Overview
Staff attitude, conduct and support
Hotel Cleanliness
Location
Would I return
Family Friendly
Good for business travellers?
Value for price
This is a great business hotel and personally rates a strong 8 for me, which is definitely what I expect from the Le Meridien
Got in late here into Istanbul, but had to drop a couple words and pictures on our suite here at the Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler. Once again, my loyalty has been rewarded with yet another Cash and Points stay at a decent great Category 5 hotel. The check in service was excellent and as a brand spanking new hotel, it’s also quite modern. From the check in, they offered me a residential suite upgrade with the view.
As for the suite itself with a guest bathroom, full kitchen, and exceptionally oversized terrace with a breathtaking views, it’s definitely an upgrade for the business.
Getting into the room, we were greeted by what can only be described a a huge truffle bar with little sweet dips … D* and I crushed this bar of chocolate even though it looked like something else.
As for the room itself, it’s definitely a modern suite. In Toronto, for a place like this downtown with the terrace and pimped out kitchen, it would easily be something in the $800 USD a night range.
As for the layout of the bedroom with full shower and walk in closet, this would definitely a girl’s dream suite here.
Initial thoughts on the location are the only negative. The location is not so great, it seems that you can hardly get anywhere without a taxi and non of the staff would actually give me straight answer when I asked the question about distance to the attractions.
Service Level:
That being said, the service overall at this hotel is absolutely fantastic. Across two different stays, the customer service and attention to detail were impeccable. Le Meridien is at the higher end of the Starwood hierarchy, but the Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler deserve special kudos for executing everything properly.- Special call out to both concierges, but Ezgi in particular for walking me through visiting Marmaris. She had timely and applicable information. She called multiple hotels, got things arranged and was a definite pleasure to chat with.
- The night manager there (Saldiray) was also excellent in every interaction I had with him and always ensured that each service transaction as perfect as could be.
- The breakfast at the restaurant was also just superb, right down to the honey from the honeycomb! Fantastic!
From checking through online, I got the following information
If you are in Istanbul to see the various historical sites around the Sultanahmet area, this hotel is quite a distance away. Taxis are available but can be a little expensive (about TKL45 one way from Etiler to the Spice Bazaar at Emininou). Public transport is very cheap but as an example, to go from Etiler to Sultanahmet would mean you have to take a taxi to the Levent station, then the train to Taksim, switch over to the funicular to Kabatas and then a train to Sultanahmet (cost around TKL8+2+2+2=total TKL14 per person).
As for the video, here is D*’s walkthrough …
- Other services
| High Speed Wired/Wireless Internet Access | Paid Wi-Fi access, but complimentary Wi-Fi for Plats. |
| Concierge | Available and an absolute treat to work with for any additional travel plans through Turkey. Definitely stop by and ask their advice on anything, they are knowledgeable and super accomodating, even for someone like me |
| Parking/Valet | Free parking in front of the hotel! Absolute WIN! |
| Dining | Restaurants are onsite and we had a great breakfast at “The Bank”, there were also complimentary wine tastings from 5-7pm as well as free tapas for Platinum guests. Definitely Plats will feel the love here. |
| Pool | There are one outdoor pool and jacuzzi and they are heated |
| Gym | High end gym |
| Business Center | Not applicable at this hotel |
- Overall thoughts
This is a great business hotel and personally rates a strong 8 for me, which is definitely what I expect from the Le Meridien
| Staff attitude, conduct and support | Everything was on point with the check-in, upgrade and escort up to the room. |
| Hotel Cleanliness | Met with the Le Meridien expectations. |
| Location | The location is the only negative as mentioned in the post |
| Would I return? | I would definitely return to the hotel. |
| Family friendly? |
This is a business hotel with flair, I didn’t see any kids upon check-in |
| Good for business travellers? |
Definitely a good business hotel and is geared to those travellers with higher end expectations from the Le Meridien. |
| Value for price paid? |
High end hotel here in Istanbul will be expensive. However you’re paying for the luxury, which is really why you’re here. I assume that one can find cheaper accommodations than the Cash and Points rate we paid, but it was definitely worth the value point we paid for the hotel. Even if I had to pay a higher rate, it would be worth it at this hotel |
