Intercontinental Ceylan, Istanbul

Dear Sir/Madam, Please adise your email address or fax # Best regards, M. Abedi

I recently stayed at the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel in Istanbul area, and I must say they truly have no clue what it means to be a five star hotel. Although they have all the accomodations and the facade of a five star hotel, you get better attitude at a Motel. We had a group of over 35 people stay at the hotel, and at the end of the stay, we all agreed on 4 things: 1. Not one person smiled ONCE during our stay. Extremely unfriendly staff (with the exception of the bar tender. nice guy). 2. Transferring their problems to the customer. A few of our guests had issues with their credit card upon check-in. Instead of trying to help out the customers, they basically told them to figure it out on their own, while charging them 7 Euros / minute for the call. At the end the issue was with the way they are booking the transaction. This was explained to them, and yet they still repeated this issue with others in our team. 3. Nickle and Dime you to death Everything is an add-on. Internet access, 25 EUR / Day. Coffee $10, etc... 4. Ridiculous Prices I wish i had taken a menu for laughs. just some items I recall: - Beer: ~15 EUR - Coffee: ~5 EUR (12 YTL) - Mix Drink: ~30 YTL ($25 USD) At the end, the thing that bothered all of us the most, was the real unfriendly environment. This started from the Reception, Waiters, etc... On the positive side, the rooms are clean and the comforters very nice. Also, the hotel has beautifl view of the bosphores (not sure if this is the case for all rooms). As for location, this is debatable I guess. The hotel is located close to Taksim square. Which seems to be a transportaion hub. So getting to the more touristy areas (Sultan Ahmed)is not a problem at all. But it does require taking the Tram. In summary, for me, five stars is all about the service, not the facade. And this hotel has the cover of a five star hotel, with the attitude of a one star motel.

best service ever.......stayed in all 5star hotels before.....this is the best these guys know what it takes they have got superior service than any 4seasons i have stayed in and by far a more premium location than the kempinski palace hotel

A really superb five-star grand hotel in the heart of the city, near Taxsim Square and the pedestrian Istiklal street. Excellent food, excellent quest rooms and public areas, well-trained and friendly staff, a tremendous "city lights" bar on rooftop with magnificent views of the Bosporus and town. I spent 4 days there, surely I will come back again and again. In one word: Excellent.

I was very pleased with the stay at the Ceylan Intercontinental, it was very clean and very comfortable. It was also very convenient to Taksim, a favorite shopping and dining place. The entrance, (lobby)and lounge was gorgeous and I was stunned by the crystal/glass staircase. I especially enjoyed being so close ot the district of Istikal Caddesi for the shopping and entertainment. The security was absolutely top notch and I felt very secure here. For some this might have been alarming but considering being a single woman alone in a foreign country it was comforting. 5 star Palace.

This is an excellent hotel in all respects. Service, cleanliness, view, health club - you name it. The rooms were modern and updated with luxury bedding and the staff was extremely friendly. The level of security was a bit alarming at first. All vehicles are checked at a barrier before entering the property and then there is a metal detector and security guard right inside the front door. On one hand it certainly makes the hotel a difficult target although I'm not sure how it compared to security in other luxury hotels in the area. On the other hand, the need for such security does give you a bit of a 'reality-check' about the environment we live in and particularly the concern the property has about safety. So I guess this was a positive for the property. I felt very safe in Istanbul and security at the tourist sites was very evident.

I spend 8 days in this Hotel and i found it very clean and nice to stay in for a vacation. Staff are very helpful and freindly... Rooms are quit small but very clean and i rocmmand high floor rooms to enjoy the nice views. Breakfast Buffe amazing... Very close to the main streets, resturants and shops... Security excellant. If you find it very expensive for you why not trying Marmarah Hotel as it was my second option but when i went there i found it quit very good and in excellent location

iloved it cause it is in a nice location and i love to visit istanbul