Last month I had an 10 hours overnight connection in Istanbul airport (IST). I was flying with Turkish Airlines, and although I would have qualified for a free hotel night (per the airline’s policy=, I decided to try the YOTELAIR transit hotel, located airside (past security).
My reasoning behind it was mostly about sleep time: claiming the free night benefit would have meant clearing immigration and customs and entering Turkey, complying with COVID19 entry requirements, and then walk to Turkish Airlines hotel desk and wait until a hotel and a shuttle is assigned. And if you add the fact that the new Istanbul airport is in the middle of nowhere with not many hotel options in the surroundings, TKs free night will likely be in the city, a good 1 hour drive from the airport.
My connection flight departed at 8 am. Having arrived around 10 pm, it didn’t make sense to go through all that hassle and get under 5 hours sleep, having an airside hotel option available.
YOTEL Istanbul Airport Hotel is one of the biggest airport hotels in the world (also the biggest in Europe) offering rooms– 171 of them landside, and the remaining 280 located airside, 451 in total. Conveniently located on the departures level and right next to passport control, guests can book day rates for as little as four hours, or night rates with checkout at 8 AM, making it ideal for guests on long transits.
The ckeck-in/lobby area is small, and there was a bit of traffic when I got in. I had booked my room online so the process was fast and efficient once I got to the desk, but there were a couple of walk-ins being attended when I arrived, so I had to wait until the next clerk was available.
The hotel offers a 24-hour lounge available both for hotel guests or walk-ins. The Komyuniti lounge is located in front of the check-in area, and its access fee is 30+ VAT per person, inclusive of food and drinks, or €40+VAT if you want to have shower access.
I didn’t add lounge access to my booking as I had access to Turkish Airlines lounge, but I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the Komyuniti lounge from the entrance. It looked like a lovely space.
I opted for a Premium Plus King, their mid-tier room. It was about 15€ more expensive than their Premium Queen room, but much more spacious, 29 sq.m. compared to the 13 sq.m. of their standard rooms.
The room was very spacious indeed, with plenty of space for a rollaway bed and for 3 people to be comfortable. The room came with a sitting/working area, a large 50″ smart TV and an open-bathroom concept. Connecting rooms are available on request.
The bathroom and closet area consists of an open vanity area with separated shower and WC.
USB plugs everywhere! Also, a small fridge and a safe box are available.
The funky side of the room: adjustable mood lighting!
This hotel was perfect for its purpose: a short overnight stay. I had some work to do when I arrived so having a working area was great, the room was spacious, clean, and the bed was comfortable. It also saved me time and avoided me COVID19 hassle. I wouldn’t mind staying at this property again!
