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 5-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 5-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.

• Ceylan InterContinental – Located next to Taksim Park and Taksim Square, the Ceylan InterContinental is an elegant and stylish jewel in the heart of Istanbul. Its 380 rooms are not too spacious, but the luxury and impressive views of the Bosphorus make up for it.
• Hyatt Regency Istanbul – Contrary to most of its competitors, the Hyatt Regency hotel is only a 10-story tall building with an Ottoman twist. This stylish hotel offers 360 rooms & suites, slightly orientated towards businessmen.
• The Marmara Istanbul – The Marmara Istanbul is a deluxe five-star hotel where business meets luxury in Istanbul’s city centre. The hotel, a landmark building rising 20 stories above the pulse of Istanbul, features 377 rooms and has stunning views of Istanbul.
• The Ritz-Carlton – The Ritz-Carlton has a total of 244 guest rooms with a Turkish-inspired style and décor. Sumptuous surroundings and legendary service await every guest that passes through their doors.
• Swissotel The Bosphorus – The luxurious Swissôtel The Bosphorus is located in the centre of Istanbul, in the former gardens of the Dolmabahçe Palace. Situated on a wooded hilltop, most of the hotel’s 600 rooms offer panoramic views of the Bosphorus, the Asian coast and/or the old city of Istanbul.
• TomTom Suites – Istanbul’s TomTom Suites is a 5-star boutique hotel offering 20 suites of varying sizes. The hotel is located in an historical Istanbul building in the Galata and Pera area of the city, offering panoramic views over the old city and the Golden Horn. Tomtom Suites offers the discerning guest a choice of spacious, well-designed accommodations.
• W Istanbul – Europe’s first W hotel is situated in Beşiktaş in the historic former home of the guards of the Dolmabahçe Palace. As a result of the mix of W style and Ottoman glamour, even the standard rooms come with a garden and decked area, providing an oasis of calm.

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 5-star hotels in the historical part of Istanbul. By clicking on a hotel name, you can obtain detailed information about the hotel, provided by either Booking.com or the hotel’s own website.

The overview by no means lists all 5-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.

• Eresin Crown Hotel – This is more than just a luxury hotel, offering 60 rooms and two restaurants, one of them overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Inside the hotel you’ll also find a private museum, holding 49 pieces of art excavated on the hotel’s grounds.
• Four Seasons – Created from a century-old neoclassic Turkish prison, its 65 guest rooms and suites frame an open courtyard. Together with their very spacious rooms they provide an atmosphere of personal attention and ease.
• Sirkeci Konak – This classical Ottoman mansion style hotel, with 52 spacious rooms, is located at the historic peninsula, yet has a green and peaceful recreational twist to it thanks to adjacent Gülhane Park. Guests are welcomed and treated according to Turkish and Ottoman traditions.
• Hotel Sultanhan – A 40 room Ottoman style boutique hotel in a renovated governor’s residence, featuring magnificent views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the old city as well as traditional Turkish hospitality.
• World Park Hotel – This 5-star luxury Byzantine style hotel, offering 172 majestic and stylish rooms, is situated in the 4.Vakıf Han premises, a building that radiates historical grandeur and possesses exquisite architecture.

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.