First, Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul needs to focus more on brand management and communicate better with its partners. The owners/partners in Istanbul might be short on funds, as there are 'for sale' advertisements everywhere. It's rare to see a hotel room without hotel service promotions, but instead, real estate ads.
Secondly, I chose Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul after carefully reading reviews on Trip.com, and I was severely misled by the information in those previous reviews.
This is the worst Mandarin Oriental I have ever stayed at.
The only positive aspect here is the very large gym in the basement.
**Decor:** The lobby and public areas are small, and the decor is ordinary.
**Facilities:** The room facilities are very average, lacking any modern conveniences. For instance, there's no automatic toilet, and the hairdryer and coffee machine are incredibly basic brands.
**Room Type:** There's a fundamental flaw in the design; only suites offer a direct sea view. Other 'sea view' rooms provide only partial or barely visible sea views. Even worse, the distance between rooms is extremely close, especially on the first floor, where external guests (non-residents) can easily walk up to the window. I'm unsure how Mandarin Oriental agreed to operate a property with such issues.
**Service:** It's very inconsistent. Some staff members are genuinely enthusiastic, but it's clear that some look down on Asian faces, while others are simply indifferent to their jobs.
I left my room at 7 AM, and there was trash outside the door. It was still there when I returned at 8 AM. I've never experienced in-room dining where they didn't bring in a trolley to set up a table and arrange the dishes; here, they just brought two plates of food.
I changed rooms three times in three nights. Of course, I'm grateful that the front desk was able to arrange an accessible room for me to check into in the morning.
**Dining:** The breakfast selection is very limited. One day, the raw chili peppers I had were spoiled.
This is likely the worst hotel experience I've ever had, and I won't be returning. I didn't report any of these issues to the hotel staff because I didn't know who to approach. Everyone seemed well-dressed and busy, occupied with serving the Russian gentlemen.
Turkey has so much inherent beauty that the tourism and service industries can get away with poor management. This place is suitable for budget travelers, but spending money here made me feel like a clown.
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