"I wanted to stay away from the tourist areas of Taksim Square and Sultanahmet.
Here you can be an insider and hang out with locals", says the hotel's investor Tuncel Toprak.
From the outside, Witt Istanbul Hotel’s traditional Turkish sandstone facade looks like a nondescript apartment block.
But kitted out exclusively in bespoke furniture by Autoban, Turkey’s top interior designers, and with bathroom and mini-bar fixtures from Ross Lovegrove, Witt Istanbul Hotel is far from ordinary.
The end result is domestic luxury rather than hotel swank.
The non-chain, non-banded luxury boutique hotel is diminutive, discreet and designer without being garishly so.
It all makes for the perfect pied-a-terre in the vibrant Beyoğlu neighborhood.
The concept of creating spacious modern-retro rooms for the price of a nice hotel room turned out to be quiet an accommodation revolution which didn’t go unnoticed.
Witt Istanbul Hotel became a big hit.
It has been selected as one of Wallpaper Magazine’s best new hotels, and placed on the 2009 Conde Nast Hot List.
Rewards and recognitions received thanks to attention for design detail showcasing local talent, the attentiveness of the staff, and a convenient location overlooking the Bosphorus Strait and the old city alike.
Autoban’s signature modernist style is imprinted on the open-plan rooms.
Even while taking a modernist approach, Autoban understood the importance of neighboring buildings, whose venerable architectural style - featuring long windows and French balconies - has been incorporated into the facade of the Istanbul Suites, where windows not only allude to the past in terms of form, but literally frame views of the historical quarter of Istanbul.
To complement the interesting details of yesteryear, Autoban infused the rooms with a true touch of 21st-century design: laser-cut panels of wood or steel.
The laser-cut floral motif repeatedly appears throughout the hotel’s public spaces and rooms.
Autoban’s cohesive plan included the interior design as well.
The firm selected furniture from its own collection and adapted the pieces especially for these hotel interiors.
Helping to bridge the gap between past and present is an abundance of traditional Marmara marble, an iconic material used extensively by the builders of the Ottoman Empire.
A perfectly balanced combination of history and contemporaneity is hard to achieve, but visitors to the Istanbul Suites will find that Autoban has managed to accomplish its key goal to perfection.
The 18 generously proportioned rooms feel more like loft apartments than standard hotel rooms.
All rooms are minimum 30 square meters and showcase retro-modern design.
Every conceivable comfort has been considered: hardwood floors, organic wood furnishings, king-size wardrobes, a leather sofa, a rocking chair, and a Nespresso machine.
All rooms also feature individually controlled A/C, premium free broadband wi-fi, flat screen satellite TV, Revo Internet radio, telephone and a laptop-sized security box to accommodate all your needs.
The gray-marble bathrooms, roomy enough for two, resemble traditional Turkish baths.
No less than six shower heads raining from the ceiling together with Molton Brown toiletries will rejuvenate you any time of the day.
Over-sized beds with crisp Denizli linen sheets also encourage long lie-ins - especially since you can order breakfast in bed at no extra charge.
The beds are so comfortable that you may find yourself tempted to stay in.
With some of Istanbul’s finest restaurants literally only minutes from the hotel and a handful even within walking distance, there is no need for an on-site restaurant.
The front desk will be happy to recommend restaurants in the neighborhood or farther afield, and make reservations or arrange to have dinner delivered to your room.
The well-equipped marble kitchen island in some rooms houses a large sink and mini-bar/fridge.
With utensils - from a cutting board to an electric kettle - as well as dishes and glassware, you can prepare fruit which you bought from a local grocer or prepare simple dishes that do not need cooking; the mini-bar (stocked with wine and beer, premium liquor, juices, water, and soda) doubles as a refrigerator roomy enough for purchases at neighborhood markets.
At no extra hotel charge, you’re also invited to order in from restaurants in the neighborhood.
Witt Istanbul Hotel home cooked breakfast.
Witt Istanbul home cooked breakfast consists of local organic or at least chemical free products.
No efforts are spared to serve guests the highest quality available.
For example, all jams are handmade and honey originates from Bodrum; choices range from Turkish standbys (tomatoes with Basilica dressing, marinated olives, white cheeses, yogurt with dried fruit) to more international fare including dry cereals, a range of egg dishes, breads, pastries and fresh seasonal fruits.
07.30h - 11.00h
Public spaces are limited to a cozy lobby bar, where guests flick through books available from the hotel’s library or use the Apple iMac to check their emails and catch up on the latest news; all are free of charge.
The charming, helpful and English speaking hotel staff, with a
1:1 employee-to-room ratio, will be glad to assist you with any service you may need: calling a taxi, airport/hotel transfers, picking a restaurant, theatre reservations, city tour recommendations, massage bookings, laundry and dry cleaning, or helping pack or unpack.
The Permaculture Garden is built on the recognition that communities all over the world face many similar challenges including food security, climate change, and difficult inner-city living conditions.
One of the best parts of this job was, that the labor belongs to several people, not just to the landscape architectures.
The whole staff participated, sometimes with the help of volunteer hotel guests.
At the end, a nice place has been created, a cozy sitting area, with nice smelling plants, edible herbs, and flowers.
The hotel's team really hopes that some of the guests into permaculture activists.
Perhaps some will start visiting farmers markets more often.
Most of Istanbul’s main tourist attractions are just 5-10 minutes away from the Witt Istanbul Hotel.
It’s within walking distance of famous spots such as Taksim Square, Istiklal Caddesi and Istanbul Modern.
The Sultanahmet quarter - with among others the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern - can be equally quickly reached by a short tram or taxi ride.
First-timers to Istanbul tend to stay among the major sightseeing spots in the Sultanahmet quarter or Taksim district.
But why miss the opportunity to have the best from both worlds and set up base in between both?
Istanbul is also home to plenty of museums and exhibitions. The famous Istanbul Modern (Istanbul’s answer to Tate Modern) is only a five-minute walk from the hotel. The Pera Museum is also only stone’s throw away.
Witt Istanbul Hotel is situated on a steep hill in Cihangir, a trendy neighborhood. Its narrow streets are home to a thriving arts scene and an array of local (designer) boutiques, trendy cafés and some of the finest restaurants in the city - all within walking distance from the hotel.
The hotel guests now have a new place to have their drinks, read their books, and enjoy the stunning views of Bosphorus, Topkapi Palace and Galata Tower.
Here you can plunge into the fantasy world - enjoy it in this wonderful library where no one will bother you.
Beyoglu is the heart of Istanbul’s club scene and many of the better night spots are within walking distance of the hotel. Try out the cool rooftop terrace bars of Istanbul 360 or Mikla. For live performances, check out Nardis Jazz Club or Babylon.
It is a model of community-involved, sustainable urban agriculture, demonstrating urban sustainability practices like vermicomposting, planting for small urban spaces and micro-green cultivation.
Across the Galata Bridge to Sultanahmet - this district is home to one of the richest concentrations of ancient relics in the world, among which the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Süleymaniye and Sultanahmet (or Blue) Mosques, and the Basilica Cistern.
From the haggles of the Grand Bazaar (10 minutes by tram) and the Spice Market to the high-street stores that line the mile-long pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi, or the designer boutiques of Nisantasi, Istanbul is a shopaholic’s dreamland.
WITT ISTANBUL HOTEL
Witt Istanbul HotelDefterdar Yokusu No:26Cihangir34433 BeyogluIstanbulTurkey