People often ask me if booking a hotel online is safe. And if so, whether I can provide links to hotel booking sites that are trustworthy and/or offer hotel rooms at the lowest prices available. Since I’m merely running a blog about Istanbul (and not a travel agency), this has always been a tough question to answer, up until recently!

Is Booking A Hotel Room Online Safe?

Recently my good friend Darren from Travel-Rants wrote a post on lack of credit card security when booking hotels online. In short, booking online via an established third-party hotel booking website is secure, if you follow the following internet safety basics:

1. stick to the bigger, well-known hotel booking websites
2. before entering personal and/or credit card information, make sure the webpage is on a secure (https://…) server
3. check if the bottom of your browser shows a padlock

Luckily, the majority of the established hotel booking websites has implemented these security measures. The only thing you can never be sure of is human carelessness after all your details have been wired to the hotel of your choice. Hotel staff writing down your credit card numbers on a piece of paper or in a spreadsheet may always occur, regardless weather you booked online or in person after arrival. Unless you carry/pay cash, but then of course other security concerns surface.

Best Price Guaranteed

So yes, in my experience booking online via well-known hotel websites is not only safe, it can also result in a fair hotel price discount. The question remains of course, what third-party hotel booking website to use.

Already back in August last year, to serve my readers better, I conducted a little research on this topic. I reviewed a handful of the most-known hotel booking websites, and decided to promote Booking.com for the following reasons:

• they have a very user-friendly and clear website
• hotels I had already previously recommended to friends are in their 220 Istanbul hotel list
• they provide detailed and accurate information about every hotel
• they offer extensive customer reviews with pros and cons about every hotel
• booking a hotel is easy and hassle-free
• you can view the website in the language and currency of your choice

Moreover, since 2009 Booking.com also added a Best Price Guarantee. You can find the full details here, but in short they promise the following:

“Booking.com wants you to pay the lowest price possible for your hotel. Should you find your hotel room, with the same booking conditions, at a lower rate on the internet after you have booked, we’ll match it. Just contact us within 24 hours of booking, with details of the website.”

This new Booking.com Best Price Guarantee policy just confirmed that I already back in August 2008 chose the right hotel booking website to advice to my readers!

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Below you’ll find an overview of hotels I can recommend in the historical part of Istanbul. I grouped the hotels according to the amount of stars they are rewarded. Keep in mind that the amount of stars refer to the quality and service they offer.

• Five Star Hotels in the Historical Part of Istanbul
• Four Star Hotels in the Historical Part of Istanbul
• Two and Three Star Hotels in the Historical Part of Istanbul

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Below you’ll find an overview of hotels I can recommend in the modern part of Istanbul. I grouped the hotels according to the amount of stars they are rewarded. Keep in mind that the amount of stars refer to the quality and service they offer.

• Five Star Hotels in the Modern Part of Istanbul
• Four Star Hotels in the Modern Part of Istanbul
• Two and Three Star Hotels in the Modern Part of Istanbul

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Below you will find an overview of two and three-star hotels in the modern part of Istanbul. By clicking on a hotel name, you can obtain detailed information about the hotel, provided by Booking.com or the hotel’s own website.
The overview by no means lists all two and three star hotels in this area. The hotel list is based on personal experiences cross-checked with customer reviews provided by Booking.com. Most of the hotels have either been visited by me or by one or more of my acquaintances. They appear in alphabetical order.

• Hotel Villa Zurich – This three-star hotel is located in Cihangir, the hangout area of Istanbul’s actors and actresses. While the hotel is only awarded 3 stars, the top and bottom floors of the hotel house respectively Doğa and Leyla restaurants, both well-known in Istanbul.
• Inter Royal – The hotel offers 90 clean but basic rooms. It is located in the famous Nevizade area, which tends to be very noisy almost 24 hours a day. Obviously more suitable for young budget travelers.

Note to accommodation owners: If you want to be added to the listings on Istanbul Trails, please contact us via the Contact or Advertise page. Keep in mind though that hotels will never be listed without personally having visited your accommodation, enabling me to write a truthful review.

No related posts.

Below you will find an overview of two and three-star hotels in the historical part of Istanbul. By clicking on a hotel name, you can obtain detailed information about the hotel, provided by Booking.com or the hotel’s own website.
The overview by no means lists all two and three star hotels in this area. The hotel list is based on personal experiences cross-checked with customer reviews provided by Booking.com. Most of the hotels have either been visited by me or by one or more of my acquaintances. They appear in alphabetical order.

• Ahmet Efendi Evi – This three-star hotel is a family guest house. The rooms are small but spotless, the staff friendly and helpful, and the location great. Ahmet Efendi Evi is located in the heart of the historical part of Istanbul, within walking distance of the main tourist attractions.
• Aslan Istanbul – This charming family-run 3-star boutique hotel with its homely interior and 18 clean but rather small rooms is located in a quiet street in the center of old Istanbul. As with most hotels in this district, their location is excellent.
• Ayasofya Pansiyonları – This three star hotel, also known as Ayasofya Konakları or Ayasofya Evleri, consists of nine renovated 19th century wooden houses, located in a dream setting: the cobbled street between the back-side of the Hagia Sophia and the high walls of the Topkapi Palace.
• Best Point – This brand new 3-star boutique hotel offers 13 very clean, modern and nicely decorated rooms. The hotel is within walking distance of the main attractions such as the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern.
• Empress Zoe – This hotel combines three separate restored houses, hence benefits from a number of enclosed gardens and panoramic terraces. Rooms reflect a high standard of taste and design. Please note that access to the rooms is via a narrow circular iron staircase.
• Olimpiyat – This three star hotel offers 59 not too big but clean rooms, each with a private bathroom. The hotel combines a great location with the famous Turkish hospitality in a casual atmosphere.

Note to accommodation owners: If you want to be added to the listings on Istanbul Trails, please contact us via the Contact or Advertise page. Keep in mind though that hotels will never be listed without personally having visited your accommodation, enabling me to write a truthful review.

No related posts.