At TravelGuys every birthday is a weekend in a “nice” place. After, among others, Bali, Athens, Dubai (for better or for worse), here is Istanbul.
After the St Regis and the W tested during previous stays, we set our sights on the Ritz Carlton which had just reopened after a long renovation. At 110€ the standard room ( booked a little more than one month in advance) we jump on the occasion.
Arrival at the hotel
My flight having had delay it is in the middle of evening and not in full afternoon that I discover the hotel. Once I passed the security controls (as it is usual in the hotels here with portals similar to the ones in airports) I go to the reception.
By the way, the superb lobby…
Very warm welcome and I was told that I was upgraded to a suite. I’m not surprised because I saw my reservation update in the Marriott app within the day. Surprising when you know that Ritz-Carlton is a brand that is very reluctant to apply all the benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program and has a very high opinion of itself….less surprising when you know that Olivier contacted his “ambassador” to make sure that a gesture was made for my birthday.
That’s what you would call self-sacrifice because, as his flight arrives later in the evening, there is no upgrade in sight for him (he will end up getting the same upgrade as I did by fighting his way in at 1am).
I am accompanied to my suite.
In front of the elevator shaft, all the prizes won by the hotel throughout its history.
Park Suite at The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
A very classic layout with the door opening to a lounge. Very nice parquet floor, sober decoration but with a very slight presence of “local” elements.
The same goes for the room with, on the other hand, a more marked local influence but still in good taste.
Beautiful marble bathroom to finish.
The mini-bar is well supplied.
Classic, sober, tasteful, everything I expect from this type of room.
Ah…the instruction for the birthday was well passed: in addition to a small word of the “guest recognition manager” I have the right to a birthday cake (not bad at all) that I will taste later with my friend and a pair of “Ritz-Carlton” cuff links.
We’ve seen worse in terms of customer recognition.
We finish with the traditional video…
Having eaten more than enough on the flight to Istanbul I decided to try the bar.
Bars & Restaurant
I start with a Negroni. Bland, too “flat”, and especially in too small a quantity (I’m talking about the content of the glass, not the dose of alcohol that wouldn’t hurt a newborn.
I continue with a dirty martini with vodka. Water with tasteless olives.
These last times we had luck with the hotel bars, here we fall back into the archetype of the dosage to the milliliter by people who are more executors of recipe than barman in the noble sense of the term. This does not detract from the quality of the service, but for anyone with a minimum of cocktail culture we are below average.
The next day Olivier will make the same mistake for the same observations. We will finish with a double vodka tonic to get closer to the standard dose that we find in any cocktail bar in Paris.
The hotel also has a second, less cozy, terrace bar. We will be excellently served there the next day and its retractable roof will even allow us a cigar for the occasion. Less stylish but infinitely more pleasant and lively
The hotel also has a restaurant where breakfast is served and where we will dine the second evening.
The breakfast offer is excellent both quantitatively and qualitatively.
In the evening, the atmosphere is not at all as one might have feared at the Ritz Carlton. Half local and half international cuisine, very affordable.
A very nice restaurant that we really enjoyed.
Gym and Spa
We will finish with the gym, the pool and the spa.
The gym is well equipped but a bit crowded. Nothing to criticize and nothing to get excited about either. We are at the level that we expect from a palace. Anything less would be a mistake.
The indoor pool is just beautiful. Very, very large, with a Jacuzzi and a ceiling painted with a trompe l’oeil sky, it offers a very relaxing setting.
Its temperature is exquisite…
Well…to be honest I’m ready to not put a toe in an airplane if ever the temperature displayed was the real temperature of the water. Not as cold as the Grande Bretagne in Athens but not super hot either. The water in the jacuzzi was not hot either. A bit unpleasant in the end.
Probably youthful mistakes for a hotel that has just reopened and that are surely repaired by the time you read these lines.
During this time Olivier tested the spa treatments. To say that he was not thrilled is an understatement.
The hotel also has a spa and a rooftop terrace pool…which were closed in this cold month of April. Shame.
Bottom line
The hotel has been beautifully renovated and is a superb showcase for the brand.
However, as is often the case, Ritz Carlton confuses exclusivity with penny-pinching. Non-compliance with loyalty program conditions for upgrades, no lounge access for higher levels of the program. For some discretionary benefits I want, but to believe that you are superior to hotels like the Prince of Wales, the Gritti, the Danielli to name a few is a bit pretentious.
It’s a pity because in terms of customer recognition they have shown that they can do it.
A mediocre bar and a correct one…we expect better.
The restaurant is well worth a mention.
Perfect at 110€, at 350 as posted a few days before the trip we would have been very disappointed. And the kindness and discreet efficiency of the staff will not change anything.
An experience to live but I think that the next time we will return to the St Regis.
