Medar Hotel in Istanbul

The hotel made a good impression when I first arrived - nicely located to the Galata Tower and metro station; room has a nice view etc, but things started to look differently when I entered the bathroom…

The first room that I was assigned has the toilet seat taped and a smoke(?) hole on the bath mat. The receptionist kindly apologised and offered a new room, but the bath mat (sarcastically, the same item) got something like those got sucked in a vacuum cleaner bag. Later noticed that the wallpaper was peeling off and there is only a dispenser with a label ‘shampoo’ on the wall. Called the receptionist again and I was told they now use a ‘combination product’, which to be honest I’m not so sure about. Just when I hoped that things are going to be alright I saw the stains and hairs on the bedsheet… I feel truly speechless about this place and the staff really should have checked the room before checking in guests. The receptionist did apologise and tried to help, but I won’t say that’s enough to really fix the problem…

The next morning I met the manager, and he didn’t even try to apologise after knowing the problems that my room has been having…

Overall I’m truly disappointed by this hotel’s management, standard for cleanliness and complaint handling. If a hotel cannot even handle the basics it perhaps should not be welcoming guests in such a city that’s famous for great hospitality.

First, I must say that the location of the hotel is perfect. The fact that the hotel is within walking distance to Istikal Street and the transportation hub makes it very convenient for tourists. However, I had some issues during my stay that I feel need to be addressed.

One of the staff members, who happened to be Asian, was not very accommodating. He was quite unhelpful when I asked him to clean my room. When he eventually did clean the room after requesting him, he claimed that the room is not clean we made the mess. Additionally, he was unresponsive when I asked him to switch on the air conditioner, to use the air condition which I have paid I have to request him to switch on. He switch it off without my concern. My whole night was ruined because I was suffering from heat no proper ventilation.

His response was quite curt when I asked him to remove the chargeable items from the mini bar. I found it quite surprising that the charges for the items in the mini bar were quite high compared to the market price. So by any chance you purchase any item you have to pay more.

Moreover, the fact that there were no separate toiletries, and instead there was a soap dispenser in the bathroom area, was not very hygienic. There was also no shower gel available in the room. The ceiling of the room had leakage which was not very pleasant.

I also found the hotel's policy of fining guests for any spots on the blankets and other charges quite unusual. I do not think that this policy is appropriate, especially given the high room rates.

I was disappointed that there was a deposit of 20 euros, which meant that I could not simply check out and had to wait for the staff to check my room.

The hotel did not provide drinking water as advertised. When I booked the hotel through Agoda, it was mentioned that drinking water would be available in the room. However, during my stay, I had to convince the staff to provide me with drinking water, and even then, they only provided me with 2 small 500ml bottles of water for the whole day. This was not sufficient for my needs and was quite inconvenient.

Furthermore, I had also expected to receive a welcome drink upon my arrival, but unfortunately, this was not provided either.

Overall, I would suggest that anyone looking to enjoy their vacation in the area should consider another hotel. If you're okay with hotel arrest then go for this one.