Istanbul City Tour

Dianne,
We loved the Hotel Azade in Old Town Istanbul. We arrived a few days before the tour so were there a total of 4 nights. The staff are super nice and helpful. Our rooms were very comfortable. The rooftop terrace breakfast is a treat every day. It's a great location for getting to everything you'll want to see in Istanbul. It's a very touristy neighborhood but the staff will point you to some of the better restaurants. There's a lovely, somewhat upscale fish restaurant right next door.
We were there in mid June.
Pat
Tacoma

For the Istanbul city tour last March, we stayed in the Sumengen Hotel, just next door to the Azade. For the Villages Turkey tour a few years ago, we stayed in the Azade. They (and two more) are owned by the same group. I enjoyed my stays in both hotels. The location can't be beat, and as the previous poster wrote, the staff in each hotel was wonderful. The Azade is considerably larger and felt more impersonal to me. The Sumengen has a smaller breakfast room with fewer choices. In both hotels, the food was terrific and the rooms while predictably on the smaller size were more than adequate and scrupulously clean. I loved the City and the tour.

I spent 2 nights at the Azade Hotel on an RS Turkey tour 2 years ago. Before the tour I stayed for 6 nights at the Erboy Hotel.
It's not clear if you are looking for a hotel recommendation or considering whether to take the tour, based on the hotel.

The Erboy had modern decor. The Azade had traditional Turkish furniture and feel. Both beds were comfy.
Both were good locations. The Erboy was close to the trams and supermarket, easy walking distrance to some sights (Galata Bridge, Spice Market. The Azade wasn't, but it was very close to some of the top sights, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia.

The Erboy had modern elevators from lobby to all floors. At the Azade there's a winding flight of stairs down to the lobby, then either stairs or an ancient, small, slow elevator to the rooms and terrace. The breakfast at the ERboy was much better, but the Azade's was fine. The Erboy staff were well informed and very helpful. The Azade's were neither. When I arrived they assigned me a room in the annexe, which meant going up to the courtyard, then up a flight or two to the room. When I refused, they found me a nice room in the main building that had a (somewhat obstructed) view. The Erboy rooms didn't have views.

The Erboy's internet prices were a lot lower than the Azade's.

I'm looking for a hotel recommendation. I want to stay in the old town, near the Blue Mosque. I don't want a 5 star mega "Hilton" type, but do want some comforts. I 'd love to have a room with a balcony and a hotel with a roof terrace would be a plus.
Thanks for the replies.

Then have a look at the Empress Zoe.

My sister has stayed several times at the Alzer Hotel. Her comments: "It’s well-maintained, and while it’s not luxurious, it’s quite comfortable and the owner and his staff are so friendly and helpful. It’s in the old town, so you’re very close to many sights, but the street is very calm and quiet in the evenings. The only downside is that you’ll be awakened by the call to prayer from the Blue Mosque around 5 am each morning."