The airport shuttle operates every hour between 6am and 11pm and takes hotel guests to and from the

On some recent visits to Istanbul we stayed in the Renaissance Istanbul Polat Hotel. There is a massive selection of hotels in Istanbul and we narrowed down the options with a list of our must haves. We wanted a Marriott brand hotel with an executive lounge, thrifty rent car which was accessible to the sights of Istanbul and had a gym and a pool. Honestly, we re not fussy!
The Renaissance Polat met all of our requirements. The hotel has over 400 guest rooms and is located 10 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes from the city. It overlooks the Marmara thrifty rent car Sea and has a large fitness thrifty rent car centre, an indoor and outdoor pool and an executive lounge. So far, so good!
We stayed in a standard room with a view of the Marmara Sea which allowed us to watch some beautiful sunsets. The bed was comfortable and there was some storage and a flat screen television. Both the bedroom and bathroom were quite compact but we weren t planning on spending much time in the room so it wasn t an issue!
On our first stay we were allocated a room on the 23rd floor which was only serviced by one of the four elevators. It s impossible to specify which elevator to call and so we wasted thrifty rent car a lot of time waiting in both the lobby and on the concierge floor. I would avoid this floor at all costs if granted access to the concierge lounge as it was really infuriating sending elevators up and down in the hope that the elusive 23rd floor elevator would arrive!
The hotel has a selection of bars and restaurants including a fish restaurant, thrifty rent car a Chinese restaurant, a sports bar and a coffee shop. We tried out the Sports Bar for some traditional American comfort food and the Coffee Shop for some sweet treats and enjoyed both.
The Renaissance Polat has no shortage of leisure facilities and there is an extensive gym, an indoor and outdoor pool, tennis courts and a Spa. The outdoor pool was closed during our first visit but it was cold and windy so we we didn t mind. It was open when we returned later in the year but the water was freezing. I could barely thrifty rent car summon up the courage to dip a toe in!
The airport shuttle operates every hour between 6am and 11pm and takes hotel guests to and from the airport. We never had to wait too long for the shuttle and it was really convenient piling on the hotel bus with our luggage and arriving at the hotel ten minutes later. No thought required, perfect after a flight!
The Eminönü stop is across from the Eminönü tram on the Zeytinburnu-Kabataş line which connects the historical and modern parts of Istanbul. The stops include the Grand Bazaar, Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sofia) and Kabataş (connects to the Taksim Funicular).  The Spice Bazaar is within walking distance. Check out our guide to the must see Istanbul sights  for some trip inspiration!
The journey took a maximum of 30 minutes between the hotel and Eminönü and the same between Eminönü and Istiklal. This was in the worst of the Istanbul thrifty rent car evening traffic, we made it into Eminönü in as quickly as 15 minutes on some mornings.
The concierge lounge is located on the 22nd floor of the hotel and serves breakfast from 6am to 10am and evening thrifty rent car canapés from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. There is also an evening Happy Hour with wine, spirits and beers from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.
Each evening there is a hot buffet with 3 or 4 hot items and a variety of sandwiches and cheeses. These are accompanied by some nibbles and fruits and a dessert buffet later in the evening. During our stays the hot items included fish and chips, lamb kebabs, salmon fillets, mini baked potatoes and some Turkish specialities.
Being loyal Marriott Reward members thrifty rent car we wanted to stay in a Marriott hotel where we could earn points and enjoy the benefits of our Platinum membership. The Renaissance Polat was exactly what we were looking for in our Istanbul hotel. We had access thrifty rent car to the hotel lounge, free wi-fi and complementary thrifty rent car breakfast.
Although the Renaissance is not in the city centre the complementary shuttle bus is an excellent service offered by the hotel and we used it to get to and from the airport and to go in and out of town daily. It was reliable and we didn t encounter any excessive journey times during our stay despite some of the heavy traffic which is typical in Istanbul. The location is not for everyone but we didn t find the journey to the city a major drawback.
Check-out was quite a lengthy process (I ve no idea why) but some time needs to be allowed for checking out if getting a scheduled shuttle bus. I was lucky that we were the only passengers on the bus to the airport and the driver waited the 15 minutes it took to settle our bill.