Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli
My two-night stay at the Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli turned out to be one of the most bizarre experiences I've had across many countries. On day one, after using the restroom, I noticed the entire inside of the toilet bowl was covered in dried urine stains—quite disgusting. I immediately called the front desk requesting cleaning, and a staff member arrived shortly afterward. He was diligent and thoroughly cleaned the area, so I gave him 100 Turkish lira as a tip—a gesture I genuinely appreciated. The next morning, during breakfast, a hotel manager approached guests for feedback. When it was my turn, I mentioned the previous night’s hygiene issue. She listened attentively, took down my room number, and promised to look into it and possibly upgrade our accommodation. I left the hotel feeling hopeful. Around 10 PM that evening, I returned and was told we’d been moved to the highest floor. I assumed this meant a room upgrade—my excitement was real. But when we finally reached the 33rd floor, things took a strange turn: the elevator didn’t go directly there. We had to transfer to a smaller elevator via the 30th or 31st floor, then walk through a narrow corridor. Once inside the new room, I was shocked—the space was noticeably smaller than our original room. Beds were pushed closer together, and we lost the desk and sofa entirely. The bathroom had shrunk by nearly half. This wasn’t an upgrade—it felt like a prank. Disappointed, I asked to return to our original room. We had to retrace our steps through multiple elevators, which was extremely inconvenient. Later, my colleague requested tea leaves be sent up. The front desk confirmed it would come promptly—but over an hour passed with no delivery. Only after I called again did someone finally arrive. Throughout the entire stay, the two hand soap bottles on the sink remained dusty, untouched by housekeeping. Even worse, during the final two nights, I found a mysterious stain under the bed cover when I lifted the blanket—too tired to complain, I just avoided that spot. Another incident involved the lounge server: when I asked to settle my bill, she ignored me completely—no eye contact, no response—even after three attempts. I had to step outside to smoke a cigarette before returning and standing right in front of her until she finally handed over the invoice. I paid in cash. To be honest, this experience fell far short of what I expect from a five-star hotel. Service, cleanliness, and facilities were all subpar. Despite giving at least 100 TL in tips daily, I got very little in return. If you're considering a Marriott stay in Istanbul, please look elsewhere. This property offers terrible value for money.
