Avicenna Hotel - Special Class

The location of this hotel is honestly the best! Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Sultanahmet Square are all within walking distance. There are also plenty of great restaurants nearby, although be careful with the prices, as some can be extremely high. Our standard double room was quite small. The bed was double-sized, but there was very little space to walk around. If you prefer a more spacious room, I would recommend booking a deluxe room instead. The breakfast was nice and had plenty of options. The room-cleaning service was excellent, with the room cleaned every day. The staff were also very helpful and friendly. Overall, I had a good experience and would definitely recommend this hotel, especially for its fantastic location.

Disaster from start to finish. Genuinely one of the worst and most disrespectful hotel experiences we have ever had. We arrived at around midnight after travelling from London to Istanbul, only to be told by the receptionist that he could not find our booking and that we had apparently cancelled it ourselves. We calmly explained that we had not cancelled anything, but instead of helping, he became rude, hostile and aggressive. When my wife tried to explain, he shouted over her and repeatedly called her a “crazy woman.” We contacted Lastminute.com while standing at reception and were sent confirmation and an invoice clearly showing that our reservation was STILL ACTIVE. Even after showing this proof, the receptionist continued arguing, shouting and insisting we were wrong. By around 3AM, we just paid for a room ourselves so we at least had somewhere to sleep for the night. The following morning, the hotel manager admitted that she had cancelled our reservation and it was not our fault at all. So after being shouted at and called crazy for hours, it turned out we had been right the entire time. Thankfully, we were refunded for the room we had paid for. Unfortunately, the poor treatment continued. Near the end of our stay, my son and his partner came to our room for a few minutes to collect some shopping. Reception and security became confrontational and aggressively refused to let my son enter the room I had paid for. Despite explaining that he was my son and only collecting belongings, they actually made us open our suitcases in the middle of the hotel lobby in front of everyone to retrieve the items. To top it off, my son’s partner politely asked if the air conditioning could be turned on because it was extremely hot. A staff member bluntly replied, “Nope, it doesn’t work.” Minutes later, another employee simply walked over and turned the exact same air conditioning on. Apparently, a miracle repair happened while we weren’t looking! The attitude of the staff was absolutely disgraceful, rude, aggressive, dismissive and completely unprofessional. I have never experienced customer service quite like this. Stay far away from this place.

⭐ 0 Star Extremely disappointing and frustrating experience My husband and I had a 20-hour layover in Istanbul and booked an Elegant King Double Room with a balcony at Avicenna Hotel through Expedia. I paid approximately $100 for the upgraded room, expecting a straightforward and comfortable stay before our early morning flight. When we arrived to check in, we were suddenly told that we had to pay an additional €25 because the Expedia reservation was made under only my name and was listed for one person. This was extremely confusing and frustrating because we had booked a double room with a king-size bed, which is clearly intended to accommodate two people. The room itself does not change based on whether one or two people are staying in it. I asked the staff member to explain exactly what the additional charge was for. He told me that the reservation included breakfast for one person. I explained that neither my husband nor I would be eating breakfast at the hotel, as we had to leave around 4:00 AM for our flight. We would literally be checking out hours before breakfast and would not be using this service at all. Despite explaining this, I was still told that I had to pay the additional charge. After speaking with the owner, the staff member came back and offered to reduce it from €25 to €20. However, he made it very clear that if we did not pay the additional €20, we would not be allowed to check in, even though I had already paid for the room through Expedia. This was honestly one of the most frustrating hotel check-in experiences I have ever had. Being forced to pay an unexpected fee for a service we were not going to use, simply because my husband’s name was not included on the reservation, felt completely unreasonable. If the hotel has a strict per-person breakfast or occupancy policy, it should be clearly and transparently communicated during the booking process—not presented to exhausted guests as an unexpected condition at check-in. We were traveling, had a very short layover, and just wanted to get some sleep before our early flight. Instead, we had to argue over an additional €20 just to be allowed into a room we had already paid for. It wasn't the €20 itself—it was the principle and the way the situation was handled. The lack of transparency, flexibility, and customer service completely ruined our first impression of the hotel. We left feeling taken advantage of rather than welcomed as paying guests. I would strongly recommend being extremely careful when booking this hotel through Expedia and confirming in advance exactly what they consider a “one-person” versus “two-person” reservation. Unfortunately, what should have been a simple overnight stay turned into an unnecessary and stressful experience. I would not stay here again.

The hotel is in a good location for sightseeing. On arrival I was told they want cash !!! Which was an issue as the ATM do not allow that amount of money. I filled in the registration form address phone number etc, next day scamming phone calls every hour and haven't stopped !! Ive had a WhatsApp spam message from the hotel telling me i need to give them my credit ard details to confirm my room of which i have already paid 7 days ago. The rooms are not clean mould all around the bathroom, wooden floors lose bed rock hard. The breakfast area is nice but don't expect a full cooked breakfast, the young girls are lovely and polite and quick to help if needed. Only thing going for it is its cheap