Express Plus Hotel

“Short stay during layover at Istanbul airport.”

We were flying 18+ hours from Boston to Bangkok in economy class and decided to break up the long trip by making a 10 hour stop in Istanbul to get a few hours of sleep between two flights. We don’t usually stay at budget hotels of a 2.5 star rating but, because we’d only be in the room for less th… more

We were flying 18+ hours from Boston to Bangkok in economy class and decided to break up the long trip by making a 10 hour stop in Istanbul to get a few hours of sleep between two flights. We don’t usually stay at budget hotels of a 2.5 star rating but, because we’d only be in the room for less than six hours and didn’t want to spend much, we found this nearby airport hotel for about $55 USD per night. (this hotel is about 15 minutes drive from the primary Intl. IST Airport. Not the older airport that is close to downtown Istanbul. The newer airport is pretty far north of town. At least 20-25 miles and there’s not a lot out here where the airport in hotel or located. It’s kind of out there. in the country. There’s a Hampton Inn right down the street, but very few hotel choices way out by the airport) This is a small hotel typical of a lot of small independent 2-2.5 Star level Hotels you’ll find around Europe. About five stories with a few rooms on each floor. We were warmly welcomed by the gentleman at the front desk. We were offered complementary tea or coffee. A friendly young man eagerly helped us to our room and wouldn’t even let us carry our own bags. Out of the question. Service was great. There was a small restaurant attached to the lobby. Not much around,, primarily a residential area, but there’s a gas station a couple blocks up on the street, and an area with shops and cheap eateries maybe a half mile walk further down the street. The room was very small, but very clean and modern and in excellent repair. Bed was pretty comfortable and sheets on the bed were high quality linens. The only issue we had was that it was kind of hot in the room because it was warm that afternoon and we were on the top floor. The room must’ve been approaching 80°F ? The climate control in the room wouldn’t work so we went downstairs and were told they had to control the temperature from front desk because guests cant control the Heat and A/C from the room thermostat. He told us they would turn on the air conditioner, but it didn’t make much difference! We were too hot to sleep, so we just cracked the window, not that it did much good! While not issues for me, our close proximity to the airport meant low-flying Jets constantly departing over the hotel late at night. Also, they call to prayer blaring from a nearby mosque down the street made it even harder for my partner to sleep. I thought it was kind of neat hearing. And I love planes. I’m an enthusiast, so no problem with the jet noise, either! If the room hadn’t been so hot that we couldn’t sleep, everything would’ve been fine for me. After short five hours with no sleep, but a shower and meal and a recharge, the same front desk guy summoned us a taxi and we were back off in a short convenient ride to the airport at 11 PM. For what it was, a small independent, no frills, budget hotel. it exceeded my expectations for the low price. I was a bit hesitant to book it at first and almost stayed at the Hampton Inn up the street for another $50 more per night. The thing that was most important to me was that everything was clean and modern in the room. Nothing nasty, nothing dinged and beat up. Clean bathroom and toilet area. Comfortable bed. it served its purpose for a quick stay, even though we intended to get a few hours of sleep that we didn’t actually get because if the hot room!

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“3/5”

not the best hotel for 50 €. In my room there was a broken socket near the bed. When I closed the door, a board fell off the door frame.

“Cheap stay”

We spent one night in this hotel after our flight came in very late to Istanbul hotel. It is not that near to the airport. The area is a typical Turkish Town and has nothing of interest. Although the bakeries are great! The hotel room was clean and the bed massive. It was a clean room and the br… more

We spent one night in this hotel after our flight came in very late to Istanbul hotel. It is not that near to the airport. The area is a typical Turkish Town and has nothing of interest. Although the bakeries are great! The hotel room was clean and the bed massive. It was a clean room and the breakfast was fine.

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