We planned our trip to Istanbul at the last minute and the Rixos Pera was one of the few hotels available in the category we were searching for. It is a five star hotel we found at a very good rate since it was still in the pre-opening period.
Although new and we encountered a few downfalls, the experience was good.
The hotel is located in the heart of the city; Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey. It is the perfect place to have fun and experience the night life of the famous Isteklal street. Isteklal, with it's 19th century metropolitan character, hosts one of the most important of the city's historic pubs and wine houses, is just a 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Also due to the proximity and easy transportation to the shopping and entertainment centers, cultural and historical places, the Rixos Pera Istanbul is one of the best hotels around the city.
This is maybe the first review written on the internet about Rixos as we were one of their first welcomed guests as the hotel recently opened it's doors for service. Unfortunately we felt like lab rats in some parts of the experience, which I will highlight in a bit.
For a five stars hotel, everything was more than perfect:
- High end luxurious amenities provided by Bulgari and changeable every day including: a shaving kit, a vanity set, a dental kit, a natural fiber luffa and the renowned Bulgari shampoo set.
- The rooms are clean and clear, with a great decoration and an up to date technology.
- Large and high beds with relaxing cushions make your stay memorable.
- A large choice of mini bar items: mouthwash, cream, stockings, lip balm, tampons, condoms and pain relief tablets as well as the normal edible and drinkable items.
- Warm corridors and nice room signs, a bit like old European castles.
- The standard magnetic room cards.
- A grandiose lobby.
- A nice hotel passport that is offered with the keys stating and describing the outlets available.
- A big bathroom with two window opening directly on the room.
But unfortunately the management needs some training:
In some parts of the experience, as I mentioned before we were treated like lab mice - testing some of the hotel's features on us. But more like trial and error!
The least we expected was a special treatment, an upgrade or a discount but unfortunately no one even cared. To be able to talk with the manger, we had to wait a couple of hours to actually find her. But I don't really know if it was worth since all she could say was "I can do nothing about it". I have been to many hotels from three to five stars superior but have never dealt with such unprofessional MANAGERS.
- There are 4 different restaurants in the hotel but only one was open upon arrival.
- The shower water pressure was not working until we shouted late at night.
- Hot water was not even turned on the first night so we HAD to experience a nice and cold shower until we shouted again.
- Rooms are equipped with 42 inch plasma screens for a pleasant entertainment experience with a nice system installed, but again the international channels were not installed and the TV stopped working the second day. Not to mention the dozens of English spelling mistakes all over the system; for a five star that is unacceptable (I just discovered the mistakes on their website as well).
- Elevators were not working considering that we stayed on the third floor. After calling the reception more than 7 times, they made it clear that the elevator will not be fixed anytime soon and there were no other rooms available to move. That same minute, booking.com had many suites available, so an upgrade from the management was a must: Thank god no one had a major handicap!
- The air conditioning system did not work until late at night as well, after we had a clash with the management again.
- On the website they promise a surround Radio in the room, but that system was not installed yet.
The breakfast we booked for with the stay was a good experience. I have tasted one of the best omelet with cheese ever. The choices are adequate and the ingredients are fresh. I couldn't try the food as their restaurants were still closed but maybe I will get the chance to do so next time. So we went to Enstitu couple of meters away.
The Verdict:
I really loved this hotel and enjoyed my stay, but the problems we experienced are not acceptable for a five star hotel and specially the way they were dealt with.
Try it, you won't regret it unless you encounter the same problems we had. I would really suggest to reconsider the choices of managers.
Another Hotel I recommend in Istanbul: The W Hotel
