How We Got It
Last month, I headed to Istanbul for the first time with some friends for a President’s Day Weekend getaway. Since we all were gifted top-tier Hyatt Diamond status as Star MegaDo 4 participants back in November, we decided it would be best to book a few rooms at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul, so that we could take advantage of our Hyatt Diamond benefits (free breakfast, club lounge access, complimentary daily happy hour, etc.) before they were set to expire at the end of February. We also wanted to add our soon-to-be expiring suite upgrade certificates to the reservations.
One of the friends I was traveling with is an IBM employee, so not only did we secure an amazing corporate rate of just 109 Euro per night, but somehow the Presidential Suite was showing as available on the Hyatt booking engine when we were making the reservation. We ended up “reserving” the room, but had a strong feeling we’d be contacted by the hotel shortly.
As we expected, a few weeks went by and the property realized what had happened, and a manager told my friend that a confirmed booking into the Presidential Suite was indeed a mistake. When we arrived, we assumed that they had already automatically rebooked us into one of the Grand Suites that we were supposed to get from our upgrade certificate, but to our surprise, they told us that the Presidential Suite was ours for the whole weekend! Wow!
The Room
The Presidential Suite at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul is located on the 9th floor in room 948. My first impression of the room was that it was huge and never-ending. At 240 sq. meters and pricing at over 4100 Euro per night on average, this room was a dream come true for us.
Upon entering the suite, you’re greeted by a grand marble foyer leading to an elaborate living room with a nice stretch gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows providing awesome views of the Bosphorus. On your left, there’s a complete full and modern kitchen; to the right is a long hallway leading to the rest of rooms within the massive suite.
The the Presidential suite has a giant living room, full kitchen, a grand dining room table that seats 10, a separate office/study, a hallway bathroom, a king suite bedroom, and the most elaborate hotel bathroom I’ve ever seen. In fact, I think the master bathroom area alone was bigger than my two-bedroom apartment.
On the topic of the bathroom, the master bathroom was almost like a spa itself, featuring a private full-sized sauna, olympic-sized bathtub, a 6-jet power shower, two sinks fully stocked with June Jacobs amenities, a separate fairy-tale makeup vanity, a complete walk-in closet, and even a mini “ballet studio” with a ballerina bar/stretching area with full floor to ceiling mirrors! Though 3 of us shared the room for the weekend, the room could easily and comfortably sleep 8-10 with the use of rollaways and the many comfy couches tastefully placed within the suite.
Our Stay Experience/Overall Hotel Impressions
The hotel is located near Istanbul’s famous Taksim Square, and getting to the property is extremely easy via public transportation from the airport. For just 8 Turkish lire, you can hop on a Havatas bus from the airport, which will take you directly to Taskim Square in just 45 minutes. The ride was smooth and the buses ran very regularly. From Taksim Square, it’s just a short walk through a pretty park to the Grand Hyatt. The check-in process was a breeze, and we were informed that the hotel provides a complimentary daily happy hour in the executive lounge between 6-8 pm.
The happy hour was plentiful, featuring many fine wines and premium spirits along with small-plate appetizers such as cold-cuts, cheeses, and Turkish desserts. Breakfast is also held in the lounge daily and includes a vast buffet spread as well as a sit-down menu.
On a scale of one to five stars, If I could, I’d honestly rate this experience as above the scale. Everything about our stay was exceptional. There was not one thing I could complain about or even consider an issue. The staff, the attentive housekeeping personnel, the lounge offerings, the property, and the location all were out of this world.
Actually, yes, I did just think of one very minor complaint – when I returned back to the states, I received my Hyatt Platinum card. After that incredible Hyatt Diamond experience, I was back to where I was pre-MegaDo :-P. Overall, I am very fortunate that I can truly say I got to experience what Hyatt Diamond status has to offer!
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PS – I am currently on a big trip with Dad, so posting might be less frequent than usual. However, I invite you to follow me on Instagram for some “InstaUpdates” and pics before they make it to the blog!
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