Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

The experience I had surrounding this trip was certainly not as good as it was advertised in the photos and definitely not worthy of being classed "five star".

First off, as soon as I arrived at 8am, I requested an early check in (I even listed it as a remark when I booked the reservation) and the staff told me they'd check. I also mentioned I had the Roof 16 table reserved for that night so I could celebrate my birthday (it was that same day). I went to have a coffee at the cafe where I had to wait until 11.30am, and nobody had still told me anything. I had to finally get up and ask someone if my room was ready, since I was exhausted after a 10 hour night flight. My room type I reserved also had 'club lounge access'. If it had been any other hotel I stayed at, they would've long told me to wait in the lounge rather than pay for the overpriced coffee at the cafe and wait 3 and a half hours.

When it was time to go to my room, the first thing I saw from the window was the tennis court. I had requested a sea view room on my booking, and in order to see the sea, I had to press my face against the glass. As a result, I had to ask for a room change.

After getting the new room, the housekeeping supervisor told me a staff member would bring me a new key card. I waited and was planning to go to happy hour but still no one had come to tell me anything about it. I eventually fell asleep and was woken up by a phone call saying someone was at the door. I thought it was the keycard but instead, it was a birthday cake which I greatly appreciated, but I was very tired and went back to rest. At this point, due to the delays with the room change, I had wasted the entire day (on my birthday no less) and since I was too exhausted, could not go to celebrate my birthday on the rooftop as planned. Since the keycard never came, I had to go and get it updated myself the following morning at 7am (otherwise, I wouldn't be able to enter my room).

Upon the day I had to checkout, the Front Office Manager asked me how my experience was, and I told him everything. To summarise, I felt like there was some inequality to the way they treated certain guests, since I'm Asian and travelling alone. I endured terrible service at a five star hotel, so I felt I had to write this review to share my experience.

But one final thing I had to add, I showed him a photo of the breakfast I had during my stay there, which had a long hair sticking out of the scrambled eggs. The chef even noticed it at the time and changed my dish. However, this was unfortunately not the first time I had an issue with the food. During one of my dinners earlier (at the club lounge)in the trip, I also found a hair in one of the mussels. But I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt at first because mistakes happen. But from my experience during this trip, I had to take a photo the second time it happened, so management could properly address my concerns.

I told the Front Office Manager all of this, and to say the least, he was stunned and expressed a lot of sympathy for me. I appreciated his professionalism and ability to handle my concerns. I also would like to compliment the young lady in the red uniform who assisted me during my checkout as well as the housekeeper Adnan who was very helpful. This was about the only times I experience positive customer service during my stay there.

I'd also like to point out that I did not choose this hotel as my first choice. I had another in mind, but saw all the outstanding reviews from this place that I changed my mind and would go with my instincts, and book the full five nights here. As someone who has studied and worked in the hotel industry for years, Swissotel The Bosphorus certainly is not worthy of the five star reputation and has a long way to go in terms of customer service and looking after...

Title: Disgracefully Unprofessional – Damaging Experience at Swissotel Bosphorus from a Business Partner's Perspective As a business partner who arranged accommodation for a colleague at Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, I feel the need to publicly share our experience due to the serious consequences that arose from the hotel’s rude, unprofessional, and negligent behavior. We selected Swissotel based on its reputation and supposed 5-star standard, believing it would provide a reliable and professional experience for our guest, who was visiting Istanbul for important business meetings. Unfortunately, this assumption proved to be a major mistake. The most damaging incident occurred when we arranged a driver to collect our guest from the hotel for a series of crucial business appointments. The driver arrived on time and waited in the lobby—but the hotel staff refused to call the guest’s room or pass on any message. Over the course of more than 90 minutes, both the driver and I (calling from abroad) made repeated requests to reception, the front desk, and hotel management to inform our guest that transportation was waiting. They refused, ignored, or outright dismissed every attempt to communicate. As a direct result, our guest missed key scheduled meetings, and we suffered a significant business loss, including the collapse of a time-sensitive contract. This was not a misunderstanding—it was active neglect by multiple hotel staff, including those at the management level. Our driver was also treated with disrespect and hostility while waiting. He was made to feel unwelcome and looked down upon, which is absolutely unacceptable in any professional environment—let alone a hotel that claims to cater to international business clientele. After hearing the full account from our guest, we were stunned to learn that this behavior was part of a larger pattern of arrogance and exploitation at the hotel. From the breakfast team to the front desk, staff were consistently rude, dismissive, and condescending. The guest was quoted €600 for a one-night extension, even though the public online rate was less than half—and was told they’d have to switch rooms anyway. No clear explanation was offered. No accountability. Just open opportunism. This is not how professional guests should be treated, and it reflects an appalling lack of integrity from a hotel that claims to be a luxury destination. The experience has caused irreparable reputational damage to our business and was deeply embarrassing, considering we were the ones who arranged the stay. I strongly advise against booking Swissotel The Bosphorus—particularly for Western or Northern European travelers, patients, or professionals who value respect, clarity, and reliability. There are far better hotels in Istanbul that know how to treat guests—and their time—with basic...

Since January 2023, I stayed at Swissotel Bosphorus more 20 times and my last stay with them was June 15-23, 2024. My work involves an extensive international travel in more than 12 countries every year and I usually spend 140-150 nights at hotels in various countries in every year. Without a doubt, the Swissotel the Bosphorus is the best hotel I've stayed in all of the 12 countries I visited last year and this year.

In terms of the view and access to all the things Istanbul got to offer, the hotel's location is great. The view from the executive lounge is the best view in Istanbul and better than any hotels in Istanbul and highly recommend either book your room with the executive lounge access or use your membership benefits to visit the lounge. Even if you do not have access to the executive lounge, the views from the other hotel locations are amazing.

The most important feature of this hotel is the excellent staff members. As I mentioned above, I stayed in so many hotels in more than 12 countries but the staff of the Swissotel the Bosphorus are the best by far.

The check-in process is always very smooth and all the staff members are very attentive to all the details. I just want to mention a couple of amazing staff members including front office staff members including Assistant Front Office Manager Burcu Hanim, Malika Hanim, Berk Bey, and Aybuke Hanim has been wonderful for all my stays.

Mustafa Cem as a bell person was amazing since I started staying at the Swissotel the Bosphorus. As an Accor diamond member, I have been enjoying the executive lounge and Yunus Emre Bey is the best in hotel business in terms of his attention to detail and excellent customer service skills. He's been going out of his way to make my every visit to the executive lounge is memorable.

The servers of the executive lounge are all amazing young people, especially Ozan, Halil, Berker, Gulsah, Elif, and Ali. They all have been amazing with their positive attitudes and excellent services. The other wonderful staff members are Emrah Bey in the lobby and Gamze Hanim in the executive lounge, both of them have been wonderful for all my stays.

The hotel grounds are perfect for any occasion, conference, or meetings and the outdoor pool is great. I've bene enjoying the spa and the gym and all the equipments are brand new and the staff members are great.

I have nothing but positive things to say about the Swissotel the Bosphorus and I want to congratulate the hotel management for creating a truly wonderful environment especially for travelers like me who needs a home away home during our travels.

If you are visiting Istanbul, this is the hotel to...