Divan Istanbul

The reservation process was very smooth and Merve Takir did a great job! The hotel is clean, with several good restaurants and a perfect location.

The Divan at Taxim is a fine hotel with the most attentive staff we have ever encountered. The room was clean and tidy. Our housekeeper, Yeter Dikbas, was very efficient and helpful. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We would recommend it to anyone coming to Istanbul.

From the minute we arrived at this hotel, the service was superb. We were greeting with a friendly smiles a juice and a water. The room is very comfortable with a great view of the bosporous. We had a gorgeous bowl of fruit and sweets that we enjoyed during the entire stay. They even refreshed it the next day. The restaurants in the hotel are top-notch as well. The food was exquisite and the variety of flavors was far beyond my expectations. Everything about this day was a five-star. I will definitely be coming back here.

We had a lovely time. The hotel was quiet and clean. The food was great! The gentleman at the front koscan was super great w all of us. Great experience overall!

I stayed three nights at Divan Taksim, and since the hotel insists on calling itself a five-star, I will judge it as one. In my personal system, five-star hotels come in three levels: 5A for genuine luxury, 5B for solid international standards, and 5C for those that carry the label but don’t live up to it. Divan Taksim sits firmly in 5C—and on some days it feels more like an ambitious four-star trying to bluff its way into the club. Arrival & First Impressions — 2/5 The lobby gave me flashbacks to the 1990s: dark wood, bulky furniture, and carpets that have seen too many suitcases roll over them. Too many knickknacks clutter the space, and scent machines pump artificial fragrances into the air to cover up the tired smell underneath. Instead of elegance, the first impression is more department store perfume aisle. Room — 2/5 My room faced the park, which I hoped would be quieter than the main road. It wasn’t. The noise of sirens and traffic carried into the room night after night. The décor was dated but serviceable, yet the details were impossible to ignore: towels that were stained and fraying and bed sheets with small holes. A five-star should never put laundry like that in a guest room. Even the in-room telephone doubled as a nightlight, glowing until I yanked the plug. Sleep Quality — 1.5/5 Between the sirens outside and the glowing gadgets inside, sleep was a constant battle. And the front desk didn’t offer an apology, let alone a solution. In a real five-star, comfort and rest are non-negotiable. Here, sleeplessness was included in the price. Breakfast — 2.5/5 Breakfast looked impressive at first sight, but after a quick inspection it boiled down to a pastry-heavy, forgettable spread. Perfectly fine for a four-star, deeply unimpressive for a five-star. It filled me up, but it didn’t impress me. Facilities (Pool & Hammam) — 2/5 The pool was cold and underground - more municipal than majestic. I stopped by the hammam once, and it was actually cold. A hammam that doesn’t feel warm is like a minibar without drinks: technically present, but completely missing the point. Service — 2/5 Restaurant service was fine—smooth and competent enough. The front desk, however, was indifferent to the point of parody. When keys failed repeatedly, no apology. When noise ruined sleep, no sympathy. A five-star front desk should anticipate problems; here they barely acknowledged them. Location — 3.5/5 Being right next to Taksim and Gezi Park is the hotel’s trump card. Everything is close, but everything is noisy. A fantastic location if you want to be in the middle of it all, a terrible one if you want peace. Value — 2/5 Charging five-star prices while handing out holed sheets, frayed towels, cold hammams, sleepless nights, and nonchalant service? That’s not value, that’s theatre.