W HOTEL ISTANBUL
W Istanbul is the only W branch in Turkey and it is conveniently located in Besiktas, Akaretler. The hotel building is a part of historical Akaretler Row Houses, which was used to accomodate for the high-ranking officials of Dolmabahce Palace in Ottoman era. W Hotel Istanbul location is very close to the most visited places in Istanbul such as Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Galata Tower and historical peninsula of Istanbul.
The interior, mirrors, bar and the sitting area of the hotel is designed like a nightclub, so it seems it is mostly for the young individuals but it is also preferred by families and businesspeople too. We stayed here 3 nights for the World Tourism Forum by the invitation of Blogger Casting and gezimanya.com.
The interior, mirrors, bar and the sitting area of the hotel is designed like a nightclub, so it seems it is mostly for the young individuals but it is also preferred by families and businesspeople too. We stayed here 3 nights for the World Tourism Forum by the invitation of Blogger Casting and gezimanya.com.
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W HOTEL ISTANBUL LOBBY
You feel like you're a superstar with your very first step to the hallway. While passing from the hallway to the lobby, you walk through a mirror corridor with W letters on it and it instantly affects your perception of reality. At the end of this short corridor there is the reception desk. After your smooth check-in process, finally you step up to the lobby.
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The lobby named as W Lounge. It is kind of dark. There is a relatively big bar in the middle of the lobby with seating areas around it. Some of these seating areas' decorations are inspired by Ottoman era. You can have a rest, grab a drink or attend the weekend parties here. The Bosphorus will be your companion from the windows while you're resting or having your breakfast because the breakfast is served in this area too.
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W HOTEL ISTANBUL ROOMS
There are 140 rooms in different styles. Our room type was the Wonderful Room on the 3rd floor. The bell-boy lead us to our room after a short check-in process.
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The room was also a little bit dark but I believe following renovation guidelines for historical buildings and elevation difference prevent a better illumination. Selection of dark decoration elements is another reason for this.
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The room was divided into two areas. One of these areas contains the wardrobe and bathroom. Interestingly, bath, sink and toilet were very close but in different locations :) For example the sink was inside a cabinet behind dark wood panels just across the toilet.
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Toilet was a little room (almost 1,5 m2) with red walls while the bath almost the same size with marble walls. It was a little bit claustrophobic but apparently this is another challenge of turning a historical building into a hotel.
The toiletries was Bliss branded. Their lemon scent is still in our minds but according to Marriott webpage they changed their toiletries brand from Bliss to Davines' MOMO. Cotton swabs, hair dryer and facial cotton pads were also present.
The other half of the room was designed as the living area. The daylight was quite enough. There were two King Size beds in the room. The sheets (350-Thread-Count), duvets (goose feather) and the pillows (feather) were quite comfy and quality. Most importantly it was possible to turn a red light behind the bed :D
There was a huge mirror over the bedside with a red light behind it. It provided a spacious feeling in the room.
Desk light and reading lights between the beds were well situated. It was like the control panel of the room.
The music was already playing when we entered the room. You can close it, change it or you can connect your ipod to the stereo which is on the side table.
There was a cell phone-like equipment which you can take out with you. It provides pre-loaded maps of close attractions and advertisements of possible tourist interests. We've seen it before in a hotel in Hong Kong and it was very helpful for us until we buy a local sim card.
The music was already playing when we entered the room. You can close it, change it or you can connect your ipod to the stereo which is on the side table.
There was a cell phone-like equipment which you can take out with you. It provides pre-loaded maps of close attractions and advertisements of possible tourist interests. We've seen it before in a hotel in Hong Kong and it was very helpful for us until we buy a local sim card.
Another feature of the room that we loved is that it is possible to choose 3 different pre-arranged illumination style. There are three different switches for this purpose; you can choose between to work, to sleep and to relax.
There is a working station across the beds with a phone, an ethernet cable and an ergonomic chair. TV was mounted on a wall which is -I think- the original facade of the building. It was behind a dark colored glass both to protect the facade and to block the bright light of TV.
Using a glass separator seems like a good idea but the application is not great at all. The glass flares, TV size is not suitable for the room and the voice of the TV is blocked by the glass. Sometimes designer hotels sacrifice functionality over design.
There were different kinds of snacks called Munchie Box. You can find some kind of chips and candies along with some high quality spring water and alcoholic beverages. As you might guess, these were a little bit of pricey but don't fret, the plastic water bottles are free :) By the way, it is possible to find a grocery store or a convenient store literally in every corner of the city, so you can fill up your fridge easily.
In a nutshell, we loved the bed, the toiletries but the room was really dark and it was hard to watch TV. By the time we stayed, the internet was not covered in the room price. In a hotel like this, charging for internet is kind of archaic, please check your reservation.
W HOTEL ISTANBUL BREAKFAST
The breakfast was included in our room. Turkish people take breakfast very seriously :) so the breakfast of W Istanbul was really good in terms of quality and variety. (It was open buffet, but I believe it is changed due to recent pandemic regulations. Please check with the hotel.)
There were a variety of cheese, bread, greenery, jams and jellies and fruits as well as sausage, sujuk (a kind of Turkish sausage) and eggs of your choice. Coffee, tea, yoghurt, corn flakes and different types of cakes and sweets were also served.
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Another serious business for Turkish people is black tea. W Istanbul Hotel receives a thumbs up from us in this matter too.
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W HOTEL ISTANBUL LOCATION
W Hotel is located in Akaretler which is in the heart of the European side of Istanbul. It is very close to all of the elements of the city such as the bosphorus, tourist attractions and means of transportation. Additionally, it is only 1 km. away from Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre - ICEC which World Tourism Forum was held.
Akaretler Row Houses
LAST WORD
W Istanbul is suitable both for tourists and business travelers due to its convenient location. The hotel staff and their approach was very professional. The decoration of the hotel was really nice but as we said, it was really dark. We would prefer lighter colors but still there's no accounting for taste. One thing is for sure this hotel is really COOL!
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