Eser Premium Hotel & Spa

I reserved a hotel in Istanbul for myself and my mom. We moved to Eser Hotel & Spa late last night, but since it's far from Taksim Square, it was already too late to change plans.

Upon arrival, we were disappointed to find that the bed sheets were dirty and the towels were stained. The room itself wasn’t properly cleaned; the cupboard under the TV was filthy, and the balcony was in terrible condition, with dirty windows that were untouchable.

The pool also appeared unclean, and the area around it was damaged. My mom, who is over 60, could have easily slipped on the broken tiles. To make matters worse, I had to work, but the internet wasn’t functioning. Despite calling the reception, the issue wasn’t resolved. Even the fridge was dirty.

I went to the reception to report these issues and showed them pictures. Initially, I was told by the guest relations team that the booking was non-refundable. I spent 30 minutes explaining that "non-refundable" applies when a guest doesn't show up—not when they arrive and find the hotel in such a dirty condition. Despite my efforts, no one responded to my concerns until I mentioned that I work in the hospitality industry and insisted that the General Manager (GM) should speak with us. However, the GM never showed up. After I persisted, the guest relations representative finally informed me that the GM had decided not to come out, but they would refund two nights of our stay.

Considering the amount of money we spent, the cost of transportation to this location, and the terrible experience we've had, I'm awaiting the refund as promised. I’m shocked by the hotel's high rating, as it doesn’t even deserve a 2-star rating based on the facilities and the lack of hospitality we experienced.

If necessary, I have pictures and videos to support my claims.

The hotel cannot be rated five stars. The furniture and equipment are from a time before modern development. The TV screens are small, old, and do not work properly. Room service begrudgingly provides you with a bottle of water and a shampoo container. When you first enter any of the rooms, you smell a foul odor from the sewage. Even in the hotel lobby, the smell is unpleasant, and the hotel staff spray air fresheners to mask it. The hotel is far from the center of Istanbul, and with traffic, it takes an hour and a half to get there and the same amount of time to return.

The hotel itself seems okay at first, until it isn’t. I had a room booked for three nights. It was cold and the air conditioning was broken. Since I was there with some friends, we spent the first night outside, so I didn’t get to spend as much time in my room. On the second night, I came back to my room and layed down to get some sleep. I woke up in the morning covered in itchy bug bites. My legs were red and swollen. I thought they were just mosquito bites, but there were too many of them, so I went to see a doctor and they said those were bed bug bites. The room itself was clean, but the bedsheets were dirty and disgusting. The furniture was outdated. The pool was not cleaned and a friend who was visiting with me got a rash on her arm after being in the pool water for less than an hour. Save your money.