Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Pera

Choosing any hotel in a large city, is always a challenge and we picked this hotel based on previous experiences with Radisson and its 5* category. Now in fairness upon arrival the lobby area is presentable if a bit dated, and the staff welcoming. Our Executive room was well presented, being in the front of the hotel was extremely noisy. Now across various booking sites this hotel is stated as having “sound proof” rooms, they are not in any way ( we booked through Hotels.com part of Expedia. Therefore our first night was like sleeping in the middle of a busy road. As we were staying for 7 nights the next day I asked to change rooms, and thankfully was given a room on the quiet side of the hotel for which I am grateful. These hotel rooms are well fitted with a couple of exceptions, firstly the hanging space in the small wardrobe is limited , especially as they place the ironing board in that space and not in the section designed for it. Secondly whilst the bathrooms are nice with marble surfaces I simply dont understand why they designed it with a full size mirror on the back of the toilet door. Who wants to view themselves on the loo 😱 It is other areas of the hotel that let it down, the promoted roof top bar and restaurant needs work, sure the view down to the river I’d typical for this city, but the area itself is cold and unwelcoming, just bland. Simple attention to this area could make it much better. The breakfast offering is good with something for most guests. However the queue for getting to the self serve coffee machine can be long , hardly 5 star. As for the Bar area , well it’s just horrible , I have seen better Doctors waiting rooms. I also find it strange that they close the lobby bar area at 6pm making guests go to the roof top, this is pointless when waiting for a taxi or the rain to stop. As such they are loosing sales which is surely the point of any business. The hotel also promotes its Spa area which is very dated. If you want to use the indoor small pool area you must wear a bathing cap, now I don’t know why as my bald head is as clean as the rest of my body. There are limited lounging areas and the other parts Sauna , Hot Tub etc are just not welcoming and the massage charges much higher than in other locations. Best part of the hotel are the Staff especially around the Reception area. However I did have issues with Guest Service prior to arrival at the hotel when I asked for assistance in booking a tour. This is disappointing when the hotels websites lists tour help as a service. Overall these aspects lessened our enjoyment of the hotel and we would not recommend staying here as it falls short of being 5 star.

Great hotel! I had a lovely time and all the staff were incredibly helpful. Eren at front desk was really welcoming and gracious, will be coming back for sure

This hotel is very comfortable, the staff super helpful and attentive. The views from the Terrace where a wonderful breakfast is served has a magnificent view of the city. Try to also dive in this restaurant as the views at night are so worth seeing.

Best experience this hotel manager Yunus Emre and waiter Baris thanks for everything

**Watch Out for Zahra – Customer Relations** A simple request for a brighter room turned into Zahra accusing me of recording her, raising her voice in public, threatening to call the police, and demanding that I apologize. Completely unnecessary, unprofessional, and unacceptable behavior from Guest Relations. The Front Desk Manager resolved the issue the next day in two minutes simply by explaining that no other rooms were available. This is not the level of service I expect from Radisson Blu.