Best Western Empire Palace

We really enjoyed our stay in this hotel. The staff are very friendly and helpful. A special thank you to Selim on the front desk for excellent service. The hotel is in an excellent location for sight seeing. The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar and the harbour are all within walking distance. The hotel is in a busy street with lots of restaurants, shops and cafes. There are trams running in the street directly outside the hotel. Some other reviewers have commented on the level of noise from the trams being a nuisance. We contacted the hotel in advance of our holiday and asked for a quiet room. The staff were very accommodating and we found our room to be spacious, clean and comfortable. We could hear the trams in the background but they didn’t disturb us at all. If you like a city break with a great vibe, Istanbul is a perfect choice and this hotel is good value for money. Breakfast is in the cafe to the side of the building. It’s a continental style breakfast (cereals, cakes, cold meats and cheeses with scrambled egg and continental sausages). You will need to let the hotel know in advance if you have special dietary requirements. They were able to provide gluten free bread for my husband but needed some notice.

Very cool Great location very polite people

We had a wonderful stay at Best Western. Conveniently located in the heart of Istanbul. The staff was extremely friendly, professional, and always ready to help. The hospitality was excellent and made us feel truly welcomed throughout our stay. The breakfast was great, with good variety and quality, and the room service was prompt and well maintained. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and well cared for. Overall, it was a pleasant and relaxing experience, and we would definitely stay here again. Highly recommended.

First the good: it is centrally located in Sultanahmet. The shower has good water pressure. The windows can be opened. The cleaning lady and porter were lovely. But alas, this hotel has many problems. The mass transport train runs in front of it which means train noise all day and most of the night. It is loud. It is hard to sleep with the racket. The bed and pillows are very uncomfortable; the blanket barely covers the bed. Their website has photos of the hotel’s exterior which in no way represent reality- it does not have an appealing outdoor sitting area. I am posting photos of what it actually looks like. The breakfast was bad- the orange juice, for example, was some poor version of tang. Breakfast is included but after the first try, we had to go out every morning to eat breakfast elsewhere. The breakfast attendant clearly was unhappy with her job. The furniture and decor is very dated and worn out looking. This is sad because with better maintenance, furniture and fixtures the place could look pretty. There is no full length mirror and the mirror provided was in a wall facing an armoire so you have to squeeze in between to see yourself. There is almost no counter space in the bathroom. This was less empire or palace and more motel. Basically mediocre and disappointing. I cannot recommend it.

Small charming hotel in Old Town Istanbul. It is on the tram tracks - about a five minute walk for access to the tram. Payment is by credit card- a little more than $1. The staff, especially Irfan, were extremely helpful. Breakfast is included, and they have quite a variety. "American" coffee is extremely weak, so we suggest the espresso. Irfan gave us the "family room" because of the size of our luggage. The Blue Mosque is 5 minutes on the tram and the Grand Bazaar is less than 10 minutes. Great location, great staff!