Radisson Hotel President Old Town Istanbul — Hotel in Fatih

The hotel’s location couldn’t be better. The view from the breakfast area was absolutely breathtaking and made each morning feel special.

Our room was spotless, and the room service exceeded expectations. The front desk staff were exceptionally friendly and attentive, always quick to respond to any request we had. Breakfast was very good and we tried a few Turkish dessert. We had a wonderful stay at the hotel—it felt warm, secure, and truly welcoming from the moment we arrived.

We really appreciated the convenient drinking water station near the front desk. Each time we came back to the hotel, we’d stop for a refreshing cup of water, and there were bottled waters available as well—perfect for taking one back to our room. Before the trip, we had some concerns about access to drinking water, but the hotel’s thoughtful setup completely put our minds at ease.

We downloaded the Welcome Pickups app and arranged transportation from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Radisson. The friendly driver dropped my partner off right at the hotel entrance with the luggage. Meanwhile, my child wanted to experience Istanbul’s impressive metro system. We watched YouTube videos how to purchase Istanbulkart card at yellow machine at Istanbul. My child and I took the M11 metro line at the airport to Gayrettepe station. From there, we transferred to the M2 line to Old Town (get off at Vezneciler-Istanbul University station). Then we walked to Radisson hotel. But If you’re traveling with luggage, I wouldn’t recommend taking the metro. Even though the transfer at Gayrettepe station is within the same complex, the station is enormous—you’ll need to walk about 10 minutes inside to reach the M2 line.

The Istanbul Tram T1 line connects nearly all of the major historical and attractions. The hotel is 3-minute walk to the T1 station. If the tram looks crowded, it’s worth waiting for the next one—they run every 2 minutes. You can use your Istanbulkart card.

We didn’t use the T1 tram very often because the hotel was only a 5-minute walk to the Grand Bazaar, a 10-minute walk to the Suleymaniye Mosque, and about 15 minutes on foot to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace Museum. We also walked about 20 minutes from the hotel to the Egyptian Bazaar and Galata Bridge. We enjoyed watching people fish from the bridge.

We bought an Airalo eSIM, installed it in the U.S., and activated it at IST Airport. It allowed us to check emails and use Google Maps to navigate Istanbul—it worked perfectly. We also used WhatsApp to make phone calls, and booked tours through Viator and GetYourGuide using the eSIM.

The hotel was surrounded by many restaurants. After dinner each evening, we enjoyed sitting on the benches at Beyazit Square (just a 3-minute walk back to the hotel), chatting with locals or simply strolling along the main road. We felt quite safe in Istanbul’s Old Town even in midnight.

We were impressed by how well the Turkish people spoke English and how warmly they treated us—communication was smooth, and we had no trouble with language barriers. One suggestion: Skip the street taxis and book an Uber.

“I love ❤️ Istanbul!” my little one said as we boarded the plane to...

Buna ziua, Am fost cazati la acest hotel, din pacate am avut un experiment neplacut legat de parcarea hotelului, lucru care ma face sa va atentionez in cazul in care mergeti cu masina personala si parcati in parcarea subterana a hotelului. Le-am predat acestora masina , iar la check out, am primit masina avariata destul de serios bara fata, aripa , janta, posibil au sterpelit-o de un perete ceva. Am stat 5 ore degeaba, a venit politia, care le tinea partea si incercau sa ne intelegem amiabil, nu si-au asumat nimic, nu am obtinut nici un act doveditor, singura optiune a lor a fost o despagubire “modica” de 100€, pretext ca atat ar costa reparatia in Turcia. Vorbim de un Range Rover Sport 2015. Devizul la un service multimarca in Bucuresti, aprox. fiind 1500€. Problema cea mai mare a fost ca era sambata ora 11 , o zi inainte de Paste , am pierdut timp degeaba, nu au fost suportivi, nu aveau asigurare , nu si-a asumat nimeni vina, ba ca ei nu au treaba cu parcarea, ba ca e plecat managerul, ba ca imi trimit ceva acte pe mail luni, prin avocatul hotelului , lucru care nu s-a intamplat. Abordarea si tratamentul lor fata de clienti in situatii de genul asta lasa de dorit, nu e la nivelul preturilor hotelului.

Hello, We were staying at this hotel, unfortunately we had an unpleasant experience with the hotel's parking lot, something that makes me warn you if you go by car and park in the hotel's underground parking lot. I handed over the car to them, and at check out, I received the car with quite serious damage to the front bumper, wing, rim, they may have smashed it against a wall or something. I stayed for 5 hours in vain, the police came, who were on their side and tried to reach an amicable understanding, they did not assume anything, I did not obtain any proof, their only option was a "modest" compensation of €100 , under the pretext that the repair would cost so much in Turkey. We are talking about a Range Rover Sport 2015. The estimate for a multi-brand service in Bucharest, approx. being €1500. The biggest problem was that it was 11 o'clock on Saturday, the day before Easter, I wasted time for nothing, they were not supportive, they had no insurance, no one took the blame, because they have nothing to do with the parking lot, that the manager is away, and that they send me some documents by email on Monday, through the hotel's lawyer, which did not happen. Their approach and treatment of customers in situations like this leaves much to be desired, it is not at the level of...

A beautiful hotel with tons of room for improvement, especially around guest service.

PROS · The hotel is within a short walking distance from the Sultanahmet neighborhood, hosting some of the town's main cultural attractions: the Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofia Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Basilica Cistern, and the Topkapi Palace.

The 7th-floor restaurant is upscale and its terrace offers a stunning 270-degree view over the sea of Marmara (3/4 of a circle). The food presentation and guest service are amazing. Stay away from alcoholic beverages as these will add an unreasonable cost to your order, which will be very moderate if you keep it alcohol-free.

The breakfast buffet is truly top-of-category and is available at 15 Euros per person (totally worth it). Bottled water: the hotel will provide you with an abundant supply of drinking water, enough for you and your family to stay fully hydrated while you tour the city under the mighty Turkish sun.

CONS · The staff’s broken English is extremely disappointing and concerning. Simple communications such as "can you please check our air conditioner?" or "can I please have tea instead of coffee?" must be addressed through a manager, or translating app. The staff will try their best to understand you, but for sure they need better training in spoken English.

The front desk agent welcomed us and went straight to reminding us that our reservation did not include breakfast. This is not a good welcome speech at all. Instead, I'd rather be explained my options for breakfast, as the hotel offers a wonderful breakfast buffet at just 15 Euros per person.

The hotel has a beautiful spa on the 6th floor and an amazing pool on the 7th floor. However, these operate strictly between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., which means the guests must choose between touring around the city OR using the spa. It would be wonderful to relax in the sauna and jacuzzi after a full day of walking the Mosques and Grand Bazaar, but this is impossible under the current operations schedule.

Finally, the air conditioning system in our room was not running to a comfortable cooling level. We notified management and the issue was not resolved during our 4-day stay. A discount was extended though; for this we raised our rating to 4 stars instead of 3. We just couldn't get a resting sleep for four days, as the average room temperature at night was around 27°C on those days...