Orientbank Hotel Istanbul, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Fatih

My boyfriend and I (🌈) just left the Orientbank Istanbul after a 3-night stay in early June 2024 and all I can say is WOW. From the moment we arrived, the service was top-notch. We were greeted by a lovely employee (Mahmoud) who was warm, inviting and very attentive to our every need. He booked our tour for the next day, changed dinner reservations and explained the general layout of the surrounding area.

Food: the lobby restaurant is small, but beautiful. Breakfast was free and included either a huge Turkish or American breakfast, juice, tea/coffee and on some mornings a live harpist playing ethereal melodies. 100% enchanting and the service was fantastic. The bar is amazing too and they will reliever anything you’d like to the INCREDIBLE rooftop bar. (You will feel like you’re in a movie when you step off the elevator and walk along an outside bridge to the oxidized copper turret lookout.)

Room: The room we were in was small, but the bed was VERY comfortable. The water pressure and amenities were great, however if you and whoever you are traveling with require immense bathroom privacy - either book two rooms or use the private bathroom on the A level. The toilet space is comical how visible you are to the bedroom space. The view from our window was similar to that of the rooftop deck: cinematic and dreamy. You feel like you’re falling asleep and waking up in a movie.

Staff: I arrived in Europe nursing an Achilles injury and the entire staff was so accommodating to my mobility issues. I wish I had written down all of their names, but Mahmoud, Summet and another gentlemen on the evening front desk rotation were especially helpful.

Location: You walk out of your hotel (the same building and entrance/exit that Daniel Craig makes in the beginning of 007: Skyfall - make sure to watch it and do a side-by-side video for your friends and family!) and look immediately to your left and you can see the entrance to the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar). You are in a superb location for all of the historical sites but I must forewarn - nearly every site in the area is up a fairly long hill. Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Cagaloglu Hamam, etc. are all up the same hill, so bring sunscreen, water and a parasol for the 15-20 minute hike up.

Sights: In our whirlwind trip, I must recommend doing the Topkapi/Hagia/Blue Mosque/Basilicia Cistern first to get them out of the way. They are amazing but it’s a long day of sun exposure. Definitely book a treatment (we did the shortest and cheapest and it was still amazing) at Cagaloglu Hamam - it is near the cistern. Keep some time to get a cocktail at the Hamam afterwards - it’s gorgeous (and the signature multi-colored hamam towel was sold in the gift shop which were the most $$ but my favorite in the entire city). A sunset Bosphorous cruise is a MUST. I recommend either spending the day doing Galata Tower or Taksim Square then going straight to the pier or getting dropped off at Taksim after the cruise to spend time there afterwards. Shopping in Grand Bazaar was my favorite shopping - don’t be shy to ask for custom items. My boyfriend and I had custom-made sleeveless caftans at “Suzani Art” in the Grand Bazaar - a must! We found shops that also made custom Turkish towel robes (I couldn’t find the one I wanted from all of the pre-made ones).

Safety: Living in NYC, I expect a level of homelessness and crime that I simply did not see anywhere we went in the city. I witnessed one beggar, who respectfully left our table after the restaurant shooed them away. This city feels very, very safe. Even as a gay couple (who purposefully did not do any PDA except briefly in our hotel lobby), it felt safe throughout the city.

Food: Food is amazing everywhere you go, but aside from the amazing hotel breakfast, my favorite nearby meals were at Las Tapas (not a Spanish restaurant!) and The Must (seating on the floor on gorgeous,...

As a Platinum member, I did not get an upgrade so I was assigned a very tiny room on a low floor. That was probably one of the worst rooms they had but they did offer me free 1000 points on top of my status breakfast. I just was not expecting such a tiny room so that is very disappointing. And being on a low floor you’re woken up very early by the vendors and tourists downstairs. Also, the hotel has no fitness center or spa. It is much more basic than some 3-star hotels in the area. So, in terms of rooms and property, it’s only a 3 star.

But what they lack in size and amenities, they try very hard to make it up with their service. We arrived very late at night and one of their staff came downstairs to prepare some snacks for us without us even asking. We weren’t hungry so we didn’t take the items. It was a very nice gesture and most appreciated. The front desk clerk who checked us in was also very professional and friendly. We couldn’t ask for more from that regard.

As for breakfast, you get 3 options: Turkish, American, or Healthy. My wife chose the Turkish option and I chose healthy. The Turkish option is definitely over the top and would be fun to order at least once. The healthy option is adequate and you can also order additional sides like pancakes and waffles with them. I strongly recommend their waffles…it’s crispy and got some great sauce toppings. Love their breakfast options!

The front desk and bell service staff were extremely friendly and even the manager greeted us when we checked out. I did mention my disappointment with the tiny room and noise from the street. He apologized for it but it doesn’t make any difference to me at that point.

As for the location, it’s situated in old town and very close to Grand Bizarre and Spice Market. The walk to other must-see sights like Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, and Cisterns is very close. So if you’re visiting Istanbul for the first time, this hotel would be a good option to stay for a night or two. But those bizarres are not places I’d prefer to visit again as they are more like museums, not places you want to do your shopping as everything is overpriced and mainly for tourists. And way too many people smoke inside those places making them a second-hand smoke hell. Coming from California where almost no one smoke anymore, walking those streets and bizarres was a terrible experience for us since we have to dodge people blowing smoke in your face left and right.

Instead of eating and shopping in old town, try taking a ferry from the nearby Eminonu to Kadikoy. Just a few blocks from Kadikoy ferry you will find tons and tons of great shops and restaurants catered to the locals so prices are very reasonable and quality of food is great. We ended up spending a few days wandering and eating in Kadikoy and bought all our souvenirs from there. We also moved to the Grand Hyatt which so a much better location for us since we can walk to Taksim Square where there are tons of great shops and food places. The Sheraton Istanbul is equally good.

All in all, I’d probably not stay at the OrientBank the next time I visit Istanbul. Sheraton or Grand Hyatt may be a better choice in terms of room size, amenities, and location. Services in all these hotels are equally wonderful but the other two have bigger rooms, spa, fitness center, and walking distance to Taksim Square. I hate to do it but I deducted 2 stars because the room is tiny and noisy. But otherwise everything else in this...

As per the name, Orientbank Hotel used to be a bank and after renovations which lasted 18 years, they finally opened in June 2021. They chose Autograph brand but to be honest in light of my stay this could easily be a Luxury Collection hotel and it scores very well in most regards in my opinion. I can highly recommend it as one of the best hotels I have stayed in Istanbul before (more than 20).

There are not many hotel chains in the old town, Hilton has a DoubleTree and a Curio, Accor has a Mercure, and there is also a Four Seasons. Out of 20+ hotels in Istanbul, Orientbank is the only Marriott hotel in the old town, consequently location will be a major draw for travelers going to Istanbul for leisure.

I was pre-upgraded a couple days in advance to the top room type Executive Suite (45 sqm) as Ambassador Elite, however on the day of arrival I wanted to check-in the morning and my room was not ready so I settled in a Grand Deluxe room on the top floor instead (listed as 26-27 sqm) which was one category higher than the entry level room that I booked.

As most hotels in the old town, the rooms are small so for people looking for spacious rooms this will not be a good fit. My room felt a bit cramped especially in the bathroom because when opening the door of the toilet on one side or the shower on the other side, we would have to squeeze near the sink area. Apart from that, the room looked great, high ceilings, very stylish and charming, I would say it was a mix of Design Hotel and Luxury Collection brands.

The hotel common areas looked equally attractive as the room – I was on the top floor so it was easy to notice the sun roof which kept hallways very bright on all floors because of the open space where we could look down at other floors below. The construction was not entirely finished, on the roof of the hotel they were planning some sort of cigar lounge and panorama which had great views of the city. They are also finishing up a restaurant in the basement of the building.

Many newly opened hotels have service issues but at Orientbank it was entirely the opposite: service was absolutely superb during my entire stay. Part of it is that it’s a very small hotel with only 36 rooms so they are set up to give highly personal service, also they seemed to have a significant number of staff relative to the number of guests. Service was excellent in all regards, whether it was at reception or in the restaurant.

Until the new restaurant opens, perhaps the current venue of the restaurant was not the best set up because when you enter the hotel it’s just one room with the reception on one side and the restaurant / bar on the other side. So when dining you can see guests coming in and out the hotel. Nonetheless the food and cocktails were both excellent, and for breakfast I enjoyed the healthy breakfast bowl.

Because this is a small property, they might not have been able to fit a fitness gym and perhaps this is a reason why the hotel could not qualify for the Luxury Collection brand. However for the hardware, the service, and dining, I think it’s a top notch hotel for people who can accept a small(er) room to be in the old part...