We have reviewed hotels in Istanbul with the best club or executive lounges to help you decide on the best choice, whether you are traveling as a couple, a family, or as a single business traveler. By reviewing each of these club lounges, in turn, I conclude which hotel club lounge comes in at the top and which hotel I would select as having the best club lounge in Istanbul.
If you want club lounge access for free, book a standard room at a hotel that partners with our luxury travel concierge, and you will get a room upgrade and free club lounge access. This free lounge access has to be one of the best hotel deals available.
Luxury hotels in Istanbul, Turkey, include Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Raffles Istanbul, Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul, Park Hyatt Istanbul, Macka Palas, Shangri-La Bosphorus, and Mandarin Oriental Bodrum, on the coast outside Istanbul.
I have compiled a list below containing the club lounges available across luxury hotels in Istanbul. I list the lounges in Istanbul that I consider to be the best of the best. I will be reviewing each of these hotel club lounges in detail so that you know what you will get if you book a room with club lounge access or upgrade to a club lounge for free because of your loyalty status.
1. The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul
The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul is a gorgeous luxury hotel located in the heart of Istanbul’s most prestigious Dolmabahce district. Approximately 30 minutes from the Istanbul Atatürk International Airport and walking distance to many of the city’s cultural attractions, designer shops, Old City, and vibrant Beyoglu. This hotel comes in at 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points if you want to redeem your points for a stay here.
A cheaper Marriott Bonvoy option is the Hotel Renaissance Polat Istanbul, which comes in at number 3 in this club lounge listing and costs around half the price of the Ritz-Carlton in both cash and points. Bear in mind that while the Renaissance is cheaper, it is not as well located and does not offer the same level of luxury as the Ritz-Carlton.
243 Ritz-Carlton guest rooms include 21 well-appointed suites, and 57 Club Rooms offer Turkish-inspired style and décor, housekeeping service twice a day, 24-hour room service, evening turn-down service, and everything else you would expect from a 5-star hotel. Oversized marble bathrooms offer a separate rain shower, bathtub, and plush terry robes and slippers. We recommend requesting a “Front Bosphorus View”, ideally on the 9th floor or higher, to get a truly incredible vista from your room.
The hotel’s newly designed restaurant Atelier Real Food prides itself on an open kitchen, offering contemporary Mediterranean cuisine. The Atelier Lounge is a specially designed place to meet, eat and drink, offering bite-sized, Mediterranean-inspired, upscale contemporary Turkish cuisine overlooking the Bosphorus. Bleu Lounge is the main bar where you can enjoy an unforgettably illuminated ambiance of the Bosphorus. Smooth tunes and live music programs also fill the venue with vibrant live performers playing the latest hits.
The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul, offers a unique Open-Air Spa, an urban oasis on the second floor’s rooftop. The Open Air Spa offers complete wellness subsumed within a spa program and accompanied by the legendary sight of the sea and the greens of the Bosphorus. A lap pool and two Jacuzzis at different temperatures are available for relaxing under the blue Mediterranean sky. The Spa also has an indoor swimming pool as well as authentic Turkish Hamam offering a traditional experience.
The Club lounge on the 12th floor offers a traditional lounge with incredible views and an exclusive food and drink service five times a day, along with high-speed Wi-Fi. It is open from 6:30 am – 10:00 pm. An exciting assortment of food presentations in the club lounge are designed to tempt you, and complimentary drinks are served throughout the day, whenever you want them.
You cannot get free access to this lounge. You either need to book a Club Level room or pay a fee of around €100 EUR plus tax for non-Platinum Bonvoy members or €75 EUR plus tax for Platinum members. This is your best club lounge option in Istanbul for both food quality and quantity, as well as luxury ambiance.
2. InterContinental Istanbul
Istanbul is divided into three distinct areas: Old Town (with all the historical sites), New Town (known as Beyoglu) across the Golden Horn, and the Asian side of the city across the Bosphorus.
InterContinental Istanbul is a luxury hotel located on the European side of Istanbul, in a commercial area near the airport but too far from the Old Town to walk there. In fact, it is just across the street from the Grand Hyatt, reviewed below. The advantage of this location, other than the easy airport access, is the extraordinary views.
The hotel is a high-rise, modern, and grand. Many rooms have views of the Bosphorus, and we suggest you request one of these. The outdoor pool here is also very luxurious and another reason to stay here.
The Club InterContinental Lounge (pictured above), is located on the 16th floor, provides the exclusive atmosphere of a club lounge with continental breakfast, described as a lavish open buffet, snacks, and drinks throughout the day, and enough food in the evening to make up main-syle dishes and fill you up. There is also a boardroom for those who want to hold meetings. The views from the lounge are back inland, away from Taksim, and down to the Bosphorus, so you can watch the boats pass up and down on this busy corridor of the deep blue sea.
If you decide to dine outside the lounge, the City Lights Restaurant & Bar is the place to go, with incredible views from one side of the city to the other. This InterContinental costs 50,000 Rewards points per night and is one of the best club lounge choices in Istanbul, and is the best IHG branded hotel in Istanbul.
3. Grand Hyatt Istanbul
The Grand Hyatt Istanbul is in the same modern area of the city as the InterContinental, but it is easy enough to get wherever you want to go. This large property is located near Taksim Square and directly across the street from the Faculty of Architecture of Istanbul Technical University. It is also a short walk to Istiklal Avenue. The Grand Hyatt Istanbul is a Category 4 hotel, requiring 15,000 World Of Hyatt points per night for a standard room redemption.
This hotel has multiple restaurant options, a spa, and a fitness center, which is a small but well-equipped gym and a super pool with lovely comfy padded loungers and lots of greenery.
While you may not have high expectations for this hotel, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The hotel’s grounds are beautiful, and the pool, which is only open during the summer, is surrounded by comfy lounge chairs on various levels of terraces. Free water bottles are available by the pool. The guest rooms at this Hyatt are a good size, and the club lounge is great!
During the day, the club lounge is stocked with lots of different non-alcoholic beverages, cookies, biscottis, and pastries. In the morning, breakfast is good with a nice continental spread and a couple of hot egg and meat dishes, should you choose to order. You can also choose from a variety of bread, meats, cheese, and fruits at the buffet. Happy hour is served every day and offers appetizers that are more than enough to fill you entirely for dinner. Alcoholic drinks available include complimentary beer and wine, and the staff here are excellent, bringing you drinks and clearing your plates with efficiency.
When comparing the Grand Hyatt Vs. the Park Hyatt, which is the other luxury Hyatt property in Istanbul, the Park Hyatt is far more luxurious and stylish. The Grand Hyatt remains a great choice, too, with a club lounge (there’s no club lounge at the Park Hyatt) along with a great pool. The Park Hyatt has an equally good pool, so your decision between these hotels really depends on the price in cash or points that you are prepared to pay. The Park Hyatt is the more expensive of the two hotels.
4. Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel
Istanbul is a city with a unique history, and one of the best panoramas in the world can be found in the Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel, which towers above the city. This rewards category three property is a comparative bargain if you are redeeming Bonvoy points, at around 17,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. This is much cheaper than the Ritz-Carlton point redemption rates outlined above. Platinum Bonvoy members get free access to this executive lounge, and both the lounge and the property have been recently renovated. Plus, there is a nice pool here, making this a great and good value choice in Istanbul.
Renaissance Istanbul Polat Bosphorus Hotel is located on the European side of Istanbul, in Besiktas, midway between the areas of Taksim and Levent. The hotel is near the airport, so perfect for a layover, and is a very strong near-airport hotel. Compared to the Sheraton Atakoy, the Renaissance wins on almost every point.
The hotel is within walking distance of key Istanbul shopping malls, business centers, and Bosphorus’s main boat harbor. Taksim Square is only a few minutes away by subway. You have very easy access to Old City, Saint Sophia Museum, Sultanahmet Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Grand Bazaar, as well as to the Asian side by the Bosphorus Bridge. If you want, you can take the subway into town, or you can take a $20 USD, 20-minute cab ride into town.
The hotel is conveniently close to the airport, and it has an airport shuttle and a daily shuttle into town and back, which takes about 25 minutes to the Old City. Being a shuttle ride from the old city rather than being able to step out of the foyer into the Old City is the main disadvantage of this hotel. Instead, this hotel is in a leafy, suburban neighborhood, with a couple of serviceable restaurants nearby but not much else.
The Hotel Renaissance Polat Istanbul club lounge is one floor below reception, and it has views of the pool. There is also a nice outdoor terrace. The seating space inside is slightly limited, but the lounge is stylish and is open seven days a week, serving snacks and drinks throughout the day. A massive highlight of this club lounge is the huge terrace area overlooking the pool.
The rooms here are well-designed and stylish, with plenty of technology. If you can, upgrade to or book a Bosphorus room for the views (Platinum Bonvoy members usually get an automatic upgrade to a room with a view at this hotel).
The rooftop bar & restaurant also offers a truly amazing view of the Bosphorus and the city’s historical peninsula and is a “must-do” if you stay here.
5. Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Hotel Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus is located out of the main center in a quiet area. While it’s an easy walk to Taksim and Istiklal and the entrance to the public transit system is very close to the hotel, it takes a lengthy 30 – 40 mins to get from the Hilton to Old Town and center using public transport, trams, and funiculars.
While some like to go to Old Town to see the sites and then retreat to the peacefulness of the Hilton, most feel that their stay would be more enjoyable if the hotel were located in the Old City/Sultanahmet area, so you can make use of the restaurants and are nearby the sites. So the location of this Hilton is a major minus point of this hotel.
The rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable, with all the amenities one would expect from a Hilton. Be careful with your view, as rooms looking out to the back of the building have a pretty dismal view.
It is worth knowing that Hilton Honours Gold members get a free breakfast either in the executive lounge or in the Terrace restaurant at this Hilton. The Terrance restaurant offerings for breakfast are better than the executive lounge, with some additional buffet stations, so eat there if you have the choice.
Whatever your membership level, book a Business room with an executive lounge, and you get a room with a king-sized Hilton Serenity Bed and executive lounge access, serving complimentary continental breakfast, drinks, and snacks throughout the day, plus evening happy hour with canapes and alcoholic drinks along with private check-in and check-out.
This is a useful club lounge as you can pick up snacks and drinks at any time of the day and hot food around meal times and snacks otherwise. The continental breakfast in the morning and canapes in the evening are decent. Not spectacular, but sufficient. The executive lounge also has a great view.
An alternative Hilton property to consider, which doesn’t have a club lounge, is the Doubletree by Hilton in Old Town. The tram literally stops almost in front of the door, and it is an easy walk to see the sights in Old Town. As a Hilton Gold member, you get free breakfast, and the breakfast is excellent.
6. Istanbul Marriott Hotel Asia
Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents, Europe and Asia, and Istanbul Marriott Hotel Asia< sits on the Asian side, near the shores of the uniquely beautiful Bosphorus. The hotel is located in the center of the booming business district of Atasehir and offers a refreshing experience for business and leisure travelers. This rewards category two property is a comparative bargain for points at around 12,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. Spacious rooms and suites with high ceilings and panoramic windows feature LED screen TVs, high-speed internet, a minibar, a safe box equipped with a plug, in-room kettles, and voice mail. Executive rooms located on the top floors of the hotel have a great view across the Marmara Sea. Book into one of the 51 executive rooms. These get you access to the Hilton executive lounge, where you can enjoy a great spread of food and drink, particularly at breakfast and in the evening, along with drinks and snacks throughout the day. The view from the lounge on the 22 floor is also amazing, and Platinum Bonvoy members get free access to this executive lounge.
7. Hotel The Marmara Taksim
Hotel, The Marmara Taksim is a 5-star hotel in Istanbul. Book into a newly renovated Club Room, averaging 25 m² (82 ft), to get club lounge access included. These clubrooms are located on the uppermost floors of the hotel and feature a desk and armchair, a comfortable sofa bed, and a built-in closet, in addition to the marble bathrooms with walk-in showers and chic vanity units. Non-smoking rooms are available.
With the club room, you have complimentary access to the exclusive club lounge located on the 19th floor and offering panoramic views of the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and the historic peninsula, Sultanahmet. Club lounge perks include a newspaper service (Turkish and English), express check-in & check-out at the club lounge, complimentary soft drinks, cookies, tea, and coffee at the club lounge all day, daily washing, dry cleaning, or ironing service for one piece, bottled water, and Nespresso machine in the rooms, shoeshine for a pair of shoes during the stay, 20% discount on SPA services at T floor and 15% discount on all chocolates in Chocolate Shop located at G floor, as well as two hours of meeting room usage for maximum eight-person upon availability.
Complimentary food offerings include a buffet breakfast, a teatime buffet, and an alcoholic drink buffet.
8. WOW Istanbul Hotel
WOW, Istanbul Hotel is located 1 km from Istanbul International Airport, Ataturk Airport. It is also around 200 m walking distance from Istanbul Exhibition Center and CNR Expo Center, where exhibitions are organized. You can use the metro to go to historical places such as Topkapi. Sultanahmet is in the garden of the facility.
Renovated in 2014, WOW Istanbul Hotel features 56 executive rooms, three suites, and 216 standard rooms. This is, however, not a luxury hotel. You’ve got a choice of a room facing the airport and suffering from the sound of aircraft which run throughout the night, or a room facing the other direction where you have the metro, which runs until midnight.
Restaurant Mezzanine and Choppers Point serve Turkish and world cuisine, and there is a swimming pool on the top floor, covered by a glass ceiling, a fitness center, a Turkish bath, a sauna, a massage salon, and Vitamin Bar. Just don’t be tricked into thinking that this is a 5-star luxury hotel, or you will be disappointed.
The 56 rooms on the “Executive Floor” have access to the executive lounge, which offers special catering buffets specially designed for their most exclusive guests, but this remains our worst club lounge choice in Istanbul because of the basic rooms and the noise suffered in these rooms.
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