DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul - Piyalepasa Reviews

When booking a 5-star hotel from the Hilton chain, one naturally has certain expectations. Unfortunately, this stay fell far short of those expectations. The check-in was acceptable, though Hilton Honors Gold benefits were not mentioned, with the exception of the complimentary breakfast. When I asked about an upgrade, I was told no rooms were available. When I showed the staff member (Onus) that upgrade-eligible rooms were clearly visible and available in the Hilton app, he claimed it was an error and that he would remove them immediately. Yet, the rooms remained available online throughout the entire evening. We had to change rooms twice on the first night due to a disgusting sewage smell emanating from the bathroom. Despite the room change, we were kept awake for hours by the persistent, penetrating odor. The next day, there was no apology, but we were promised an upgrade to a corner room for the evening. Upon our return, the same staff member from the previous night informed us that there was a "problem" with the room and that we would be placed in a standard room again. We were assigned room 603, which reeked; room 610 also smelled. Finally, we were moved to room 516. We called Onus at reception, who promised to send someone to address the smell, but no one ever arrived. We later realized that someone had entered our room while we were at the spa, spraying a strong floral scent to mask the sewage smell—a truly desperate and unprofessional tactic. We ended up covering the drains with towels just to endure the night. The following day, Serdar (a very friendly and courteous staff member) promised us a corner room for the evening. He also mentioned that management does not grant suite upgrades to Gold members, which explains why those rooms remained bookable online and that is totally acceptable and way better than the lie from the day before. We did receive a corner room, but the smell returned at midnight and was extreme again the next morning after showering. When we spoke with other guests, they reported the same issues. On the fourth evening, after two calls to reception (Onus), a maintenance worker finally arrived. He poured liquid into the pipes and admitted that about 40% of the rooms have this problem, with rooms around 617 and below being the worst. The pool area was neglected; there was plastic waste on the floor and a used adhesive bandage floating in the whirlpool. On the second evening, a fire alarm went off, accompanied by the smell of burning wires, and staff rushed in to shut down the Jacuzzi. It remained closed for the rest of our stay, the pool was no longer heated, and the sauna was turned down an hour before closing. The steam room was unusable due to the stench. To date, there has been no apology or offer of compensation. On the contrary, when I complained via Trip.com, the hotel refused to refund a single cent, citing the "non-refundable" rate (which does not make any sense as I did not want to cancel my booking but receive a partial refund). Thankfully, Trip.com provided a generous refund as a gesture of goodwill, but I am still waiting for any sign of reconciliation from the hotel management. To conclude, I cannot recommend this hotel. The breakfast buffet lacks variety, the advertised city shuttle only starts running at 11:15 AM, and the rooms are showing their age. There are much better alternatives in Istanbul that value hospitality and guest status far more than this property. While I understand that upgrades are subject to availability—especially when booking via third-party sites—my main grievance is the arrogance of the management and the unacceptable, unhygienic condition of the rooms.

The hotel was very close to Taksim Square, which was great. The breakfast was delicious and the facilities were clean, making for a pleasant stay. I'd definitely visit again.

The room was nice, but there's a mosque nearby, so it got a bit noisy in the mornings. The breakfast was really bad, but the hygiene and environment were decent. The main issue was that many of the staff didn't speak English, which made communication difficult.

Lovely stay, clean rooms, not far from main attractions although will need 5-10 min taxi rides around £2-5. Great attentive staff, overall a great experience.

Overall its OK but I hated Ahmed at the check in desk very rude and abrubt overall I would not stay here again its not near a metro and there is not much around it. Overall a poor Hilton experience

View was amazing good hotel

Good experience, feels like a boutique hotel. Location is not the best though

My first night was a disaster because my room's power supply kept cutting off and they took almost 3 to 4 hours to fix it, due to that I couldn't sleep the whole night and my morning plans got wasted too. I asked the hotel manager Mr.Arda to give me an extra night, (he refused), airport transfer on my checkout date , (he refused) , room upgrade, (he refused) , Then Mr Arda promised us a complimentary dinner at the rooftop restaurant and that was amazing .My initial plan was to stay 3 nights but then I extended it for 2 more nights because of 1 man Mr.Karem at the reception , the nicest guy of the hotel , Mr.Karem and Mr.Arda helped us alot and supported us in every aspect, but sorry to say all the other staff members there had just 1 answer. im sorry we cannot help you we cannot help you , I'll definitely visit again, Thanks to Mr.Arda and Mr.Karem ❤️ and lastly thanks to Mr.Servet who told us about the free shuttle service provided by the hotel which takes us to Taksim . Thank you, Double Tree Regards Akif

I was very satisfied with everything: cleanliness, location, amenities, and quality. I would definitely choose this place again.

Good hotel for a short business trip. Although I wasn’t really thrilled with responsiveness and service. Property was clean enough though ,I give them that.

Baggage not taken to room, very late check in time, bathroom drain really bad smell, had to ask for robes for the spa area. Taking 100 euro deposit, suggests lack of trust of your guests. Then to be told locking mini bar. Your loss i would have spent money. Won't be recommending or returning to this hotel. Customer Service doesn't live up to the Hilton Brand!

Clean Good manners staff Recommend it Will visit it next time for sure

The hotel, room and staff are great! There is something that honestly brothered me.  Anything bought at the hotel bar had a 10% mandatory service charge.  And this 10% does NOT go to the empoles who are there serving, but to the hotel company. Does not seem fair 

It's just so-so, not worth the price.