Where is it?
The TAV Airport Hotel is located at Istanbul Atatürk airport, the main international airport of Turkey. The hotel is actually divided into two different parts with what is essentially two separate hotels. One hotel located landside with 82 rooms, and one hotel located airside with 46 rooms.
This review covers the airside hotel located in the international transit hall after security control and passport control. This means you will need to have completed check-in and be in possession of a valid boarding pass to get to the hotel. The entrance is at the far end of the transit hall, right next to the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge.
There are different packages available for the transit hotel. I booked a package which included 6-9 hours at the hotel. At 168 euro it was not the cheapest option around but on the other hand the hotel is incredibly convenient if you have an overnight transfer of just a few hours, like I had. It saved so much time not having to go landside, which would have meant also having to pass passport control twice.
The arrival experience
I arrived at the hotel just after 11 pm, arriving at the airport on a late evening flight. After passing through transfer security it was easy to find the hotel as there were plenty of signs.
The hotel has a proper lobby area, located right next to the entrance to the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge on the lower floor. The check-in process was quick and straight-forward.
The room
There are 46 rooms in the transit hotel, all standard rooms. 29 rooms have king-sized beds, 17 rooms have twin beds.
The room itself was in a rather good condition and fairly spacious. It will probably not win any design awards with the rather uninspiring and fairly boring pastel colours used for the interior, but it had everything needed for a short stay.
I got a room with a king-sized bed, which was fairly comfortable. The room also had a TV, a work desk and an armchair.
There was also a minibar, a closet and a safe. Although there was a window behind the curtains (which are just there for decoration) there was no view whatsoever. The hotel is effectively located in the basement of the airport building.
The bathroom was spacious but slightly old-fashioned and had a bathtub, toilet and a washbasin.
Overall the best part of the room and the hotel is that you completely forget you are at a major international airport. There is absolutely no noise in the room, neither from the buzzling transit hall, nor from any departing or arriving aircrafts.
Food and drinks
There are no bars or restaurants at the hotel but on the other hand there are plenty of food outlets in the transit hall, including a large food court.
Service
The service both both upon check-in and check-out was swift and friendly, but of course with just a very short stay at a transit hotel with few facilities there was little interaction with the staff.
Breakfast
Breakfast can be had in one of the cafes or restaurants in the transit hall. Since I had access to the Turkish Airlines Lounge, located right next to the transit hotel, I decided to have breakfast there instead.
Final impression
A very convenient airport hotel for international transit passengers, right in the transit hall just a few minutes from the gate. Comfortable but old-fashioned rooms. Friendly service at the reception.
Be the first to comment