Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul — Hotel in Beşiktaş

We sincerely feel that words will not be sufficient to emphasize the level of hospitality, attention and heartfelt care we were shown at the SLIB. It has set the precedent against which we will benchmark all our past and future experiences, and one week after our stay, we cannot stop thinking about our stay at the SLIB, raving about it to our friends and families, and wholeheartedly looking forward to our next time back at the SLIB. The most enriching aspect of our stay at the SLIB has been getting to know and interacting with the team – their warm demeanour, always with a smile, extremely professional, always going out of their way to enrich our stay, polite, friendly and most important of all unstuffy. They perfectly understood from the get-go that we prefer things to be casual, easy-going and unstuffy, and during our stay they built with us a highly personal relationship that we will always cherish.

I planned to ask my girlfriend for her hand in marriage and therefore booked the SLIB as a special treat for us. Every aspect of our stay at the SLIB was perfect and I am so glad that I chose the SLIB for such an important moment of our lives. Since the day the booking was made, Nini from the customer relationship team stayed in touch with me, sharing with me various ideas to make our stay at the SLIB one of the most memorable vacations in our life, and also helping me coordinate with the different teams. On the day of our arrival, Nabiha took time out of her schedule to sit down with me and plan the proposal plan to the smallest details and making excellent recommendations to help me make the proposal extra special (choosing the right location, setup of the room with balloons and our photos, scheduling a couple’s massage, having the whole proposal filmed undercover, etc.). Although she was off for the next two days, she stayed in touch with me throughout the whole period to make sure that the plan is being executed to perfection, which for me is client relationship ability at the next level. The team understood that I was detail oriented and what made me the happiest is that they proactively filled up any gaps in my planning. They accommodated all our requests including any last minute changes to make sure that my proposal and our stay is perfect. They put us in a room with a terrace and a beautiful view, rescheduled their maintenance of the terrace to give me sufficient time to do my proposal, helped organize a private boat ride on the Bosphorus with pickup at the hotel pier, sending up presents and desserts, etc. I want to thank especially Mr. Keenan who really went above and beyond in helping me execute the proposal – set-up of a private area in the terrace, rescheduling the maintenance, putting together a gorgeous spread of food, helping me prepare the back story, playing along the whole time so that my girlfriend never suspected anything, and most importantly accompanying her from the elevators to the terrace where I was waiting to propose to her. His team is equally brilliant and in the midst of dinner or breakfast service, they took the time to explain to us everything we are eating (hands down one of the best Cantonese restaurants we have been to) and connecting with us personally. I also would like to thank Mr. Ayberk for not only accommodating any requests I had, but for making us feel as if we were at home at every moment of our stay. Finally, as I mentioned before, this was a team effort and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Ece, Deniz, Halil, Yagiz, Ozge and Ugur for going out of their way to make this trip special for us and building personal relationships with us, despite our short stay.

At every moment of our stay, we felt that the full team rallied around us and just wanted to make our trip that much more special. Quite frankly we don’t remember any stay at a hotel where the level of attention and care has been at the level as...

Not as Great as the Four Seasons Bosphorus! First of all, before booking my reservation at the Shangri-la, I read reviews on TripAdvisor and one guest that the best hotels to stay in Istanbul are: The Ciragan Palace, The Four Seasons, and the Shangri-la. Unfortunately, after staying in your hotel I do not agree with this. The hospitality, kindness and customer service at the Shangri-la dos NOT compare to The Four Seasons (where I stayed a month before). There was no one upon arrival at the door to greet me and to welcome me, no one to open the front door for me, no smiles, no genuine welcoming! (at The Four Seasons, there plenty of staff members outside waiting to greet their guests, and to open the door for them. At the restaurant it was the same experience, 50% of staff members greeted me with genuine smiles while the other members ignored me as if they didn't want to be there. To be honest, I was disappointed in the friendliness and kindness of the staff during my visit. The only staff members I would recognize as exceptional, outstanding, and highly professional during my stay are:

(1) Cyrine Sellami - She was always smiling, very gracious, and willing to make my visit pleasant. Very outstanding employee!!!

(2) Kubra Gizem Kement - She was highly enthusiastic to help and accommodate me in the bar during a World Cup Match. Also eager to offer excellent service and made me feel very comfortable. She is very kind and professional as can be. Great employee!!!

(3) Vefa Kahraman - Very charming and gracious employee! She greeting me to the lobby with old-world charm and elegance! Also very intelligent with her great choice of words to make me feel very welcome while I was in the lobby area. Great staff member!!!

(4) Yigit Tolunay - This gentleman went "Above and Beyond" to create a great ambiance and to provide an outstanding breakfast experience for me! When he came to my table and ask if there was anything I needed, I advised him that juices were too watery with no flavor. He not only brought me a freshly made glass of carrot juice but also of the other juices freshly squeezed and served with a genuine smile. I knew right away that Yigit Tolunay loves his job!!!

That's what it's all about, when we as hotel guests are willing to pay higher-priced accommodations, all we ask for is kindness, friendliness, and great customer service from the establishment where we are staying. With the exception of the outstanding four employees that gave me great service, I hope management relates these comments to the other...

We just spent 8 nights here, Here's what we liked and what we didnt like:

Pros: Rooms and bosphorous view are nice, housekeeping quality was very good, Abdul was fantastic and very friendly The lobby has a lovely royal feel to it Check in was very smooth and friendly Spa - the two thai therapists (Jamjit was the best) + the bali receptionist were FANTASTIC! We went back 4 times, excellent service.

Cons: Breakfast - not many healthy options and SAME MENU every single day. Service is a bit too dramatic - they do not give you any space, someone is constantly bothering you and interrupting converstions to remove 1 spoon or 1 little plate (not classy).

No taxis!!! and a severe shortage of hotel cars!!! - the taxi situation here is HORRENDOUS. We would spend 30-40 minutes every day waiting outside in a very chaotic environment for a taxi or a hotel car. This left a very negative impact on our entire trip as the stress of having to leave the hotel was not worth it.

The hotel is right beside the Presidents office, so the environment is very stressed in general with secret service people all over the place in their FEAR mode...HORRIBLE. Our taxi parked outside the hotel and we had an armed guard PUSH us back into our taxi as that area is a danger zone or something!

Every time we left the hotel or entered the hotel, atleast 10 of the hotel staff would make 'unnecessary small talk with us' - of 'how was your day, or where are you going today' - same thing - STAFF NEED TO GIVE US MORE SPACE! They are trying too hard, but in a FAKE way. It is very exhausting for us to answer 10 staff every day while going out and while coming back in!

After 8 nights there, we asked if we could check out at 3/4 pm as our flight was late at night. They said NO and that they would charge us a check out fee. Terrible customer service.

The shower got cold every day, and maintenance would come in and fix it within minutes.

We are currently in the Shangri La London and the service is FANTASTIC here - they truly give us the space we need. When we enter, all the concierge says is 'welcome back' with a smile - not over the top fakeness and long conversations. At breakfast, they leave us along yet silently keep the table clear (without interrupting conversations everytime).

Hope this helps management amp up the...