Newalla Hotel Old City — Hotel in Fatih

Extremely disappointing stay — avoid, especially if traveling with family.

We stayed at Newalla Hotel Old City at the end of May, and it was by far one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve had.

From the moment we checked in, it was clear that basic standards of service and cleanliness were not being met. We had to chase housekeeping for days just to get our bins taken out and bedding changed. With a child in the room, the overflowing rubbish — including used nappies and takeaway boxes — was unacceptable. Despite multiple requests, they only attended to the bins three days after check-in, and bedding was not changed until even later.

The room itself had a broken window frame, leaving the window partially open throughout our stay. It was not only uncomfortable but also unsafe for a child. When we raised it, we were met with indifference. Shockingly, despite us referencing a previous guest’s review complaining about the same issue, the hotel still claimed they had “no prior complaints.”

During a regional water outage, the hotel made zero effort to communicate the issue or offer meaningful assistance. The staff member at reception was rude and dismissive, and instead of offering bottled water as they later claimed, we had to fill our own empty bottles from reception downstairs just to manage.

The staff overall were unhelpful, cold, and at times outright rude. While some guests were greeted warmly, we were ignored. When we politely asked for extra bedding and support, we were either refused or brushed off.

To make matters worse, after raising our concerns formally through Loveholidays, the hotel responded with false claims, such as saying housekeeping visited three times — yet failed to provide the CCTV evidence we requested. Their response was as dismissive as their in-person behavior — just written more politely.

We did not receive even the bare minimum service we paid for. And while Loveholidays offered a small goodwill refund, it doesn’t come close to compensating for the discomfort, stress, and lack of basic care.

If you’re expecting cleanliness, courtesy, or even a basic standard of hospitality — look elsewhere.

UPDATE Reply to the hotel reply on my review is below:

What a joke of response from the hotel! First of all, I clearly mentioned they failed to provide any cctv evidence regarding their false claim of housekeeping but they are still saying the same thing 😂

Secondly, yes the room had damaged amenities I myself posted pictures of these and raised issues regarding that. What are you even on about? 😆

Lastly, excessive rubbish? Hmm i wonder where did they come from “genius”! 🤔

That’s the kind of response you expect from a poorly run hotel by geniuses...

I loved this hotel. It is in a fabulous location - 15 minutes walk from the grand bazaar & about 20 minutes walk from the blue mosque (5 more minutes brings you to Hagia Sofia / 5 more to Topkapi palace etc). We used the metro system to navigate sites further away (great easy to use metro system btw) & the metro is about a 25 minute walk to Yenikapi. |The hotel is beautifully decorated throughout - very modern feeling but whilst also retaining the character of the old building. Everywhere is lovely and clean. The staff are very friendly & helpful. Our room was 2 separate bedrooms - 1 double bedded room & a separate room with 2 single beds (very handy with teenage children). All rooms & bedding nicely decorated and clean. Lovely bathroom with shower. Rooms have nice tall ceilings & lots of windows. |There is a rooftop terrace with fantastic views across the city - you can see all across the seas of Marmara, the boats coming and going, the blue mosque, hagia sofia & Suleymaniye mosque - just fantastic. |We ate at the cafe next door / underneath (where you also receive a nice breakfast in the mornings) and the food was lovely & very reasonably priced (half the price of some of the other local restaurants). |Just around the corner from this hotel are several streets packed with lively restaurants so there are plenty of options. Plus there is a little convenience type shop about 20 metres away. |Some people have said the area isn’t ‘nice’ but I would say the area is fun, lively, Turkish and full of local people going about their lives. If you want a sterile tourist area then maybe it’s not for you but if you like ‘people watching’ & seeing real life in a city, cats & old men playing rumikub, then this is a...

We stayed two nights in room 203 on the second floor. The room is absolutely unsuitable for people with claustrophobia. Its total area is about 9 square meters, including the bathroom, so it feels more like a closet than a hotel room. In addition, there is practically no natural light. According to the receptionist, the hotel has been operating for three months. The condition of the room is terrible! Defects are everywhere. Here’s a brief list: Electrical outlets falling out of the wall Doors don’t close properly Door handles are loose Bathroom cabinet doors and the TV stand doors are literally falling off Showerhead holder is coming out of the wall Watering system hanging from the ceiling Towels are stained Stains on the bathroom tiles On top of that, the soundproofing throughout the hotel is almost unbearable. You can hear every guest entering or leaving the hotel at any time of day or night. The receptionist’s hour-long phone calls at 3 a.m. can be clearly heard even in room 203 on the second floor. We stayed for one night, but overall the experience was unpleasant. The bathroom was dirty and literally covered in hair. The floors in the room were also very dirty, as if they had never been cleaned. It’s a mystery to me how this hotel could possibly have such high ratings. In my opinion, this hotel is absolutely not recommended. Room 203 should not even...