Swissotel Istanbul The Bosporus, Istanbul

To executives with thick wallets, a secret affair, and the need for distance from home to silence their conscience, the Bosphorus Swissôtel in Istanbul is a perfect place for a weekend hide-away. Poor, single, non-executive consultants like myself, lucky enough to have been booked in the Swissôtel, may instead try to romance one of the local beauties. For this hotel in itself is worth starting an affair. As usual - veni, vidi, vici. Her name was ...
...drive.

The Swissôtel "The Bosphorus" is one of only two hotels in Istanbul which can call themselves members of "The Leading Hotels of the World", an exclusive selection of outstanding luxury hotels. The only other hotel in Istanbul bearing this label is the Ciragan Palace Hotel Kempinski. Swissôtel's marketing slogan is "A Passion for Perfection", and whilst such phrases often remain unfulfilled promises ... more

To executives with thick wallets, a secret affair, and the need for distance from home to silence their conscience, the Bosphorus Swissôtel in Istanbul is a perfect place for a weekend hide-away. Poor, single, non-executive consultants like myself, lucky enough to have been booked in the Swissôtel, may instead try to romance one of the local beauties. For this hotel in itself is worth starting an affair. As usual - veni, vidi, vici. Her name was Sephika. And we both gave the Swissôtel an extended test drive.

The Swissôtel "The Bosphorus" is one of only two hotels in Istanbul which can call themselves members of "The Leading Hotels of the World", an exclusive selection of outstanding luxury hotels. The only other hotel in Istanbul bearing this label is the Ciragan Palace Hotel Kempinski. Swissôtel's marketing slogan is "A Passion for Perfection", and whilst such phrases often remain unfulfilled promises with other hotel brands, the Swissôtel Istanbul can indeed live up to the highest expectations. On my many visits to this city and its hotels, I have found the Swissôtel to be the most professional hotel, with a complete product and service range that leaves almost no wish unfulfilled be it yours or you girlfriend's.

 The Rooms

The rooms are very spacious and furnished in nice mahogany wood. Finally here is a hotel room with a large open workspace. Superior and Executive Rooms come with their own built-in offices, including all kinds of PC and telecom connections, and a high-end multifunctional fax/copier/printer which connects to your laptop with the included drivers. Each room also has its own internet access. So much for the boring but useful facts.

The beds are oversize. You can't really call them "king-size" anymore, if I was to introduce a new term to the lingo of the hospitality business, I would call them "emperor size". All the better, they come with feather pillow and cover. I have never been to fond of French beds, so this is a much welcome feature. There is also a divan sofa for getting comfy with the lady. All of the room's technical features - A/C, TV, radio, lights and the most important "Do not Disturb" LED-sign at the door - can be controlled via remote control from anywhere in the room. These features together make the Swissôtel a perfect place for a secret tête-à-tête away from home, and will help you forget that you had originally come here for business.

The bathrooms are the best fitted I have seen in any hotel. Both in the workspace and the bathroom, they have added all accessories you could possibly think of and which in most hotels have to be ordered separately, if available at all. Knowing my fellow Ciao users well, I am sure you will be glad to learn that condoms are openly available in the bathroom. Only a couple of them, though, and I won't forget the grin on the butler's face when I ordered a handful more packs. Anyway, this is a great advance on many other hotels which hide the condoms in the room safe where nobody will find them when in need.

The Swissôtel's rooms offer one of the best views of any Istanbul hotel: a 180 degrees panorama of the Bosphorus and the surrounding hills. You can choose between Northeast (Bosphorus Bridge view) and Southeast (Virgin Tower view). The latter is to be preferred, not only because the name is more fitting. Especially at night-time when all the Bosphorus palaces are beautifully lit, the view is so breathtaking that you and your company may like to order from room service and dine by the open window.

 The Executive Level

If you want to show off to the girl or just treat yourself to some extra amenities, you may like to book a room on the Executive Level. This can be found on the floors 14 to 18 of the northeast tower. Although the Executive Level comes with many extras, such as a personal butler service, its biggest pro is the Executive Lounge. It is very spacious, includes dinner tables as well as sofa areas, a dedicated helpdesk, and most importantly, a fantastic round view that spans from the Bosphorus Bridge to the hills of Beyoglu. Around 30 different international newspapers and magazines are available for read, and it is relaxing place to resort to between appointments, or dates.

Far away from the huge and hectic hotel lobby, the Executive Lounge offers dedicated breakfast, cakes and biscuits in the afternoon, and cocktails at night. All included in the room fare. Its only con is that it is just slightly to big to pass as your living room or create an intimate atmosphere.

 Restaurants

So, if you have been lucky to "faire la connaissance” of a beautiful Turkish Lady, and have persuaded her to meet you at your hotel, where do you take her out? Although Istanbul offers gourmet temples and nightlife aplenty, going out could be bit risky. That's because it will unnecessarily extend your waiting for the prize, or the lady might even change her mind and sleep at home – alone.

Once again, the Swissôtel managers seem to have thought of everything. The hotel has four prestigious restaurants which cater for every taste: one Turkish, Swiss, Chinese and Japanese restaurant. The latter includes one of only two Sushi Bars in town. All of these restaurants a very pricey, you should calculate around £ 100 for an extended dinner for two, including exquisite wine. Nothing to throw at the first girl you meet in the streets, but the right treat for a deserving lady like my Sephika.

 Facilities

As you would expect from a top class hotel like the Swissôtel, it offers all the leisure facilities to keep you fit for the job: indoor and outdoor pools, two tennis courts on the roof, a sauna, a Turkish bath, a gym and a massage parlour. You will also appreciate the Swissôtel's extensive park estate, if only to walk and hold hands with someone like Sephika, in a city where parks and green spots are very rare.

And those of you whom I still could not persuade to a little affair in Istanbul, and who still can only think of business – you will appreciate the Swissôtel's superb business facilities. The hotel has its own business centre which offers a wide range of secretarial and computer services, communications and translations.

 Location

Whereas the Swissôtel is beautifully situated on its own park estate right on the shore of the Bosphorus, it is rather far from the business centres around Taksim Square and Cumhurriyet Avenue. These can be reached by foot within minutes from the Hyatt, Hilton and Inter-Continental hotels, but require a taxi drive from the Swissôtel. Do like myself, turn disadvantages into advantages, and get intimate with the girl on the backseat of the cab.

 Prices

Agency rates for standard rooms start at $185 excluding breakfast, executive rooms come at $225 including breakfast. Off-season weekend specials are available from $165 excluding breakfast. Prices are per room per night.

 The Swissôtel Chain

The Swissôtel chain with its 30+ hotels worldwide was sold in March 2001 by Swissair to the Singapore-based Raffles Group, in the first of Swissair's attempts to avoid bankruptcy. Thus prices, product quality and service may change in the future. But the Raffles Group itself is renown for highest product and service standards, so I am confident that this opinion will maintain its value for generations of adulterers to come.

 Some closing remarks on Service

The service at the Swissôtel is always prompt, kind and attentive. The staff is well trained and professional which comes as a relief in a country where improvisation is usually favoured over organisation. However, due to the vast size of the hotel and its staff, the Swissôtel Istanbul fails to provide the personal atmosphere and attention that can be enjoyed, for example, at the Hyatt Regency or the Four Seasons. The recognition effect among the staff is zero, whereas in contrast, the Regency Club concierge at the Hyatt will still remember an anecdote from your last stay. Then again, you may not want to me reminded of your past sins.

© 2001 Hansjörg Gebel, Witten, Germany.

 

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