Neatly tucked away on Istanbul’s former banking and goldsmiths street Bankalar Caddesi, and just steps from the famous Galata Bridge, The Bank Hotel Istanbul, a Member of Design Hotels, scores with a seriously seductive rooftop bar and painstakingly restored original features. It’s a labour of love that will appeal to travellers looking for a boutique hideaway.
First impressions count, and ours were rather splendid as we sat down to be checked in by the suave employees at The Bank Hotel Istanbul. With courtesies exchanged and smiles apparently on tap, the team wasted no time in offering assistance with, well, just about any request we could’ve possibly had. This, we imagined, was not unlike the welcome enterprising locals would’ve encountered in these very halls, built in 1876 as the Crédit Général Ottoman, as they sat down to open accounts and stash away their lira into the vaults behind the building’s Neo-Renaissance facade.
Remnants and details across the 2014-opened hotel, which is split across two adjoining structures (the other being the Neve Shalom congregation’s former community centre), nod to its past, from a historical lift and vintage ‘house telephones’ on each floor to cash registers and painted cornices – restored by local architect Han Tümertekin – making occasional appearances. Other features, in contrast, shine a more contemporary light into the open spaces on the ground floor: a vibrant art collection, backlit shelving units stocked with design books, and a sweet scent that lingers.
While the communal areas, despite their modern features, could at times do with some light touch-ups to keep The Bank Hotel Istanbul on par with fellow members of the exclusive Design Hotels portfolio, its 61 rooms, including six suites which in turn include a penthouse, are the property’s forte. Our 29 sqm (312 sqft) Deluxe King wowed us with its 5-metre ceiling height and massive, arched windows behind electric curtains and a king-size bed (standard across all room categories) at whose end a stylish, pistachio-coloured sofa invited us to kick back and watch a film while enjoying a cup of tea in the evenings. A work area practically positioned by a window completed the offering.
Istanbulite architect Sinan Kafadar, who was responsible for the rooms’ interiors, worked with an enviable canvas to paint his vision upon: high ceilings were restored and embellished with decorative patterns, storied floors were brought to life with parquet, and decent-sized bathrooms with walk-in rain showers clad with green Carrara marble and stocked with L’Occitane toiletries (although these are sadly not full-sized, making them rather wasteful). We loved the clever layout of our room, which maximised available space, while buttery beige walls provided a sense of calm upon which the rich chocolate shade of our headboard and an ultra-modern black ceiling light were shown to advantage.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Culturalist | IST | GMT +3 |
| While you’re Out There |
| If you can’t get enough of banks, make your way to Salt Galata, which is just down the road from the hotel. Home to a library and a large art hall that’s not rarely home to thought-provoking exhibitions, you’ll also find the Ottoman Bank Museum Collection here. The beautiful Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is just a short stroll away as well, attracting a fraction of the visiting tourists you’ll encounter elsewhere. Stop by in the late afternoon, when light pours through the ornate windows. |
Beautiful though as they may be, the rooms likely aren’t what travellers book a trip for, and thanks to its three food and beverage outlets – The Lobby Bar & Restaurant, The Bank Rooftop Bar, and Serica by Chef Yiğit Alicioğlu – The Bank Hotel Istanbul taps right into the cerebral artery of culinary Türkiye, with its significant touristic allure. We loved the stylish rooftop bar, which offers views over the Bosphorus beyond whose shores Sultanahmet’s world-famous mosques glisten in the evenings. Somewhere between a Shazam-inducing playlist of lounge music, lights swinging in the breeze above our table and our low seating, there seemed an intention by the hotel to create a seductive, grown-up atmosphere that felt a tad more risqué than the stylish yet friendly interiors elsewhere across the property. Our cocktail, served in a miniature bank vault filled with fog, came with blueberry-infused, purple olives and dehydrated peas, and tasted expectedly divine.
Having worked up an appetite on our explorations around town, we had a look at a menu of small plates and found just one that suited our plant-based diet, and which we didn’t fancy at all. Dinner options at the elegant and dimly lit Serica restaurant one floor down were, much to our dismay, as limited, and we ended up having artichokes with dill oil, mushroom couscous with shiitake dashi, and melon and raki sorbet – all tasty, but each course having been adapted by removing a litany of ingredients that could’ve made an entire tasting menu for someone else (breakfasts, too, were meals that for us were more about what’s been removed, than about what’s been put in). And when the waiting staff, though no doubt well-intended, enlightened us how “challenging” catering to our diet was, we decided to dine elsewhere in town for the remainder of our stay, instead.
Thankfully, the hotel’s spa, which is run in partnership with a local operator, was less clumsy in making us feel welcome and catered to, and appointments can easily be arranged with the consistently friendly and helpful members of the team via WhatsApp. Guests looking for a workout will appreciate the small but well-equipped gym, while we headed straight for the sauna and steam rooms (both wonderful). Three classic treatment rooms, too, are available alongside a traditional Turkish hammam, which promises to offer perhaps the spa’s most immersive experience – we didn’t get to try this, but we’d bank on it delivering on the promise, too.
www.thebankhotelistanbul.com | www.designhotels.com
Photography courtesy of The Bank Hotel Istanbul, a Member of Design Hotels
