Crowne Plaza ISTANBUL - OLD CITY by IHG

The biggest complaint is that as soon as you enter the hotel, there are two platforms with three sets of stairs. Carrying luggage felt like climbing a mountain. Out of four people with four pieces of luggage, the bellboy only bothered to pick up the lightest one. How perfunctory. The room was a bit small and the facilities were old, but the hygiene was acceptable. The surrounding area of the hotel is generally not great. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend staying here if you're coming to Istanbul. My extended stay wasn't synced with the platform, so I couldn't successfully extend it. I ended up turning right out of the hotel and staying at a place that I think was called ZAL hotel, which was much newer.

The location is convenient, just a 3-minute walk to T1 station. Although the hotel feels a bit dated, it's clean and the staff are polite and helpful. The air conditioning takes a while to get cool, so you need to be patient.

Anyone who comes here will regret it!. I was stunned the moment I arrived... No doorman or greeter! I had to drag my 28-inch suitcase for almost 100 meters on a cobblestone path just to find the front desk. Is this what a five-star hotel looks like? 😅 The check-in process was even more infuriating! We arrived at 2 PM, there were plenty of empty rooms, but they squeezed us into one of the only six tiny attic rooms on the top floor! It was a cramped 18 square meters, barely enough space to turn around, and the window was as small as a cat flap. The air conditioning was set to 16 degrees but only blew hot air. Sleeping at night felt like being in a sauna, sweating profusely until morning... 💦 The most disgusting part was the racial discrimination at breakfast!! We wanted to sit at a four-person table by the hot air balloon backdrop, but a white female server immediately waved us off, saying, "No, this is a four-person table!" Yet, two white teenage kids immediately sat there and messed around, and she didn't even bat an eyelid... Later, an old white man sat there alone, and she actually knelt down to serve him a plate, smiling sweeter than a flower! 🙂 And the guy at the wrap station... I took two eggs (something you can take freely at any Atour hotel in China!), and he suddenly shouted, "You need a reservation!" I obediently made a reservation and waited 10 minutes. When I went back to ask, "Is it mine?" he gave me zero eye contact, just a cold nod... When a white person approached next, he actively went over to introduce the dishes, a complete 180-degree change in attitude! 🤬 I'm truly speechless... They're operating under the Holiday Inn brand but doing such rip-off things. "Chinese Preferred" is just a joke! I paid money only to be annoyed and suffer. To all my Istanbul-bound friends, take my advice and blacklist this place! 🚫

The hotel facilities are very old; it's the worst Crowne Plaza I've ever stayed in regarding amenities. The key card was difficult to insert into the power slot, and many parts of the room showed signs of aging. We even had an issue where the room door jammed and we couldn't get in, but thankfully a staff member helped us open it.

The hotel's location is fantastic for getting around; it's about a 5-minute walk to both the subway and tram stations. It's uniquely designed, integrated into the entire commercial district, and boasts a beautiful and grand interior. The accommodation service experience was excellent.

I liked it, it was very nice. The pool was a bit dry, but the sauna was good.