Ottoman Hotel Imperial

Perfect Location Perfect staff

This is my 2nd visit and I am happy to recommend to all my friends. The location is perfect for walking to all of the "must see" sites. The staff are always helpful and friendly. The breakfasts offer variety and are of typical, fresh ingredients. The rooms are small but this is a heritage building in a wonderful city. If you want a boring vanilla hotel, stick with the big chains!

Charming with great location...

We stayed at this hotel for our honeymoon. The location is fantastic as is very close to Sultanahmet square, local sites and the metro. The staff was very sweet, especially the porter and the guest services. Yes, the bathtub leaked and we had some issues with the AC, but the staff was responsive and, frankly, we didn’t care. The room was charming (albeit small by American standards), clean, comfortable and the breakfast was very good. We loved it and hope to go to Istanbul again and will definitely stay here again.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Not related to the hotel specifically, but if you can, take a travel steamer or iron with you. Hotels in Turkey don’t provide one and charge very high rates for laundering and pressing.

Location, Location, Location, Very Good, but...

The location of this hotel makes it a must for a traveler who wants to be at walking distance to all the major sites in Istanbul. The hotel is beautiful and everything was sparkling clean. The problem: the A/C.When we turned the AC on I thought from the beginning that it was not working properly and told the front desk about it. She came in and said it would start to cool after a while, that it was normal and sent for the "technician" who said the same thing without even opening the unit. I was skeptical but we left to do some sightseeing,leaving the card key inserted so that the AC would not turn off. We came back a couple of hours later and the room was still hot. I complained again and she said she would call back the "technician". We told her that we wanted another room, That we had given her the benefit of the doubt the first time, but that we were not staying in that room any longer. She kept ignoring our request for another room. My husband asked for the supervisor, when nothing was done we just started taking all our luggage out of the room into the front lobby. At that point the supervisor we had been asking for finally appeared, (there were new guests coming in and I guess the commotion did not sit well), and we were given a new room.The rest of our stay was fine, apart from the fact that the elevator broke and was not fixed while we were there.The breakfast buffet was very good, the porters were very nice and helpful too.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

If location is important to you as it is to us I would highly recommend this hotel, I did not see any other hotel like this nearby and it is very nice. Be very sure to test the AC the moment the room is given to you. Ask for a first floor room if you cannot use stairs in case the elevator breaks, since I believe repairs are not done right away.

A Little Gem

The Ottoman Hotel Imperial was a gem in so many ways. It’s a small boutique hotel, that was just recently renovated with quality furnishings and a fine eye to details - e.g. good lighting and even good position of the double sided mirror (one side magnified - much appreciated by women)in the bathroom. Situated right in the heart of many of the major sites in Istanbul, it is even close to the tram line. Yet, because it’s tucked into a private street a little away from the main street, it is quiet. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the free breakfast that came with the room included a varied selection of some local foods as well - my favorite - raw honey right off the honeycomb.

Excellent hotel

The Ottoman Hotel Imperial was an excellent place to stay for a relaxed holiday in Istanbul. The rooms are a little small but the location is fantastic. It was great to wake up to the Hagia Sofia. The staff were responsive and always very helpful.

Great hotel, just don’t stay in the basement

The location and staff are just great. Unfortunately, I booked the least expensive room in the hotel which was in the basement with a broken thermostat, and so was pretty uncomfortable much of the time. I’d go again, but insist on a room up one or more floors with natural light and a working thermostat.

Next door to all the historic sites

Could not have been closer to all the sites in Istanbul

What a travler EXPECTS

Couldn’t ask for a better hotel.. any traveler would be happy to stay here. I went off season so the prices were more reasonable but regular season could be little pricey.. but if you want good service and a clean room with good utilities and don’t want to be disappointed the Ottoman is the place to go..

Traveler's tip

now the world economic situation has put countries like Turkey in financial distress so expect alot of vendors pestering you to death to buy something.. nothing to do with the hotel.. Grand Bazzar was a dreadful experience because you would be constantly interrupted with offers to ’buy’

Excellent location for sightseeing.

Newly remodled,pleasant staff and English not a problem.Does not stock caffine free/sugar free beverages{including coffee}.Located right on the tram line.

Traveler's tip

Some taxis have difficulty finding the address. Tell them it is directly behind the HAgia Sopihia next to the tram line.

Outstanding location

Adjacent to the Hagia Sophia. Lovely outdoor seating area behind front desk. Extremely helpful concierge. Price is really good for such a great location. Never could get the TV to work but didn’t bother to ask for help. They did forget my wake-up call which could have been disastrous having an early AM flight to catch, but I wouldn’t hold that against them. I would DEFINITELY stay here again!!

Traveler's tip on local attractions

The Cistern The Blue Mosque and Hippodrome The Hagia Sophia Topkapi Palace (especially The Harem)

Great location

Small hotel in the center of the main attractions in Istanbul. Staff very helpful and friendly.

Outstanding hotel, great location, friendly and reliable staff

This was my second stay at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial. The hotel is perfectly located next to the Aja Sophia museum (former main cathedral of Byzantine Orthodox Chrisianity and later a mosque under Islam after the conquest) and an easy walk to the Blue Mosque, Topkapi, the underground Roman cistern, and the Grand Bazaar. The staff is warm and reliable - I have trusted them with early wake-up calls and late-night airport pickups and they have performed without fail. It is a very clean and comfortable hotel. Good price, good service, no complaints!

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Two tips: First, don’t miss the archaeological museum on your way to Topkapi. It has some of the best preserved Hellenistic work (Alexander Sarcophagus) that has come down to us. Second, read up a bit on the history of the late Roman empire and Byzantium up through the Ottomans. What has survived in Istanbul is amazing and you will enjoy it more for knowing the history behind it.

Don’t tell anyone

This is the kind of hotel one would want to keep a secret......so that it would be available the next time you travelled. In the hustle of Istanbul this hotel is on a quiet street behind the Hagia Sophia. It is very comfortable and clean and quiet. The breakfast area and patio are just beautiful and it serves a full breakfast. You can walk to all the sights in a couple of minutes..the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and the Hagia Sopia was right outside our window. We stayed only one night after a cruise and I am hoping to someday go back.

Great place to stay, also with kids

We had a wonderful visit to Istanbul, and our stay at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial was part of the reason it was so great. They gave us a room upgrade, so that we (2 adults, 1 small child, one toddler) had plenty of room even with the extra beds. The staff was cheerful and helpful, our children were treated very well (...all of the stories we’d heard about the high level of kid-friendliness in Turkey were true, it seems!). Breakfast was ample (the typically Turkish items---cheese, bread, olives, yogurt, tea, soup were highlights), and the terrace areas was a nice place to sit. Ideal location---steps to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, easy walk to many other trip highlights. We’ll definitely stay there again!

Nice hotel, small room

The hotel is very well maintained, the location is great (right next to Aya Sofia mosque). The room is clean and looked new. BUT the room was tiny - there was very little space to move about, since the bed took up most of the room, and the bathroom was very small. Fine for a short stay (as mine was), but would be a problem for a longer stay. I assume the hotel has larger rooms too, so make sure to check when you book. Good value for money.

Best Choice for Instabul

Our family of five stayed at the Hotel Ottoman Imperial and loved it. We would highly recommend it for any tourist.

Great Service and Hospitality

this boutique hotel is by far the most accomodating that I have come across. The manager, Yasar and I, have been communicating prior to our arrival to get details of our transfers and other things. He was very prompt with his response and extremely helpful. Yasar, on his day off was waiting for our arrival to greet us and bumped us up to a better room when he found out we were here for our anniversary. I highly recommend the hotel. It’s location is wonderful and close to all the historic sites.

Nice

The hotel was pleasant and cosy and the staff friendly and very helpful. The location was also great; my bedroom window gave right on to Aya Sophia. The only negative point was the breakfast. The buffet was not very appealing.

More bang for your buck

Can’t beat the location being in the center of it all!

Traveler's tip

Every thing’s within walking distance, tough to walk on those cobblestone lined streets so make sure you bring your most comfortable shoes!

Highly recommend this hotel!

The Ottoman Hotel Imperial was one of the most beautiful, perfectly located hotels I’ve ever stayed at. The staff was the most friendly and professional I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with. This was my first trip to Turkey and I would absolutely stay here again. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in the historic area of Istanbul.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Stay at a hotel that is centrally located. I strongly suggest using public transportation, including taxis or shuttles. Take the time to talk with the locals. Accept the tea they offer and engage in the culture. Even attemp to learn their beautiful language.

Istanbul 2007 Formula 1 Race

Cons: The room wasn’t according my request, it was a small room. Wi-Fi stop working without any reason at any time. The Refrigerator doesn’t work properly Pros: Excelent location in Istanbul. Very clean and the attention was very good. The breakfast was great.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Istanbul is a fantastic city, I went there for the Formula 1 race and the city transportation is excelent, Huge quantities of city buses with air conditioning for a cheap and excelent ride to the circuit (1hour 30min). Very kind people. I stayed in Sultanahmet and you can feel free to walking all around even at late night. I’ll repeat this trip. Very Clean City and full of attractions, personally I recommend Istanbul for a pleasure journey. The Grand Bazaar is magnificient.