Hotels provided by Turkish Airlines with layover

Posted by mslot2 on 10/15/15 11:35 PM

I have researched a comment I received on an early post about our layover in Turkey. Someone told me to look into the possibility
that the airlines (Turkish) will put you up in a hotel if your layover is more than a certain number of hours. According to their website, this is true!! (thank you very much!) WE have more than a 10 hour layover both on the way over to Italy and on the home.
So my question is, (and I can't find this info on their site) does anyone know if there is a specific hotel they put you in, a certain area of hotels, or a a specific chain or type? I am trying to plan what we would like to do during our layover, using the great suggestions I received from my earlier post, but I am also trying to figure out about where our "free" hotel might be located so I can plan accordingly!

Thanks Much!
Donna

Posted by CL

Salem, Oregon, USA

10/16/15 12:00 AM

2341 posts

I have not personally, but this Flyer Talk thread lists several hotels.

Posted by Agnes

Washington DC Region, USA

10/16/15 12:01 AM

7049 posts

My guess is that no one here has taken advantage of this - I only recently learned about it after I paid for two hotel rooms during two overnight layovers (and I had to get a 20E Visa to boot!). I think you need to go through their process on the website and then you'll find out specifics about hotels...once you do, please share on this Forum.

Posted by mslot2 OP

10/16/15 12:11 AM

23 posts

Agnes,
According to the website, after we go thru the visa thing, they will then send us to the "hotel desk" where they will then assign us to a hotel of their choosing. I don't think I will know anything till we get there, which is why I was hoping someone on the forum has already experienced this!

Posted by David

Seattle, WA, USA ☔️

11/25/15 10:22 AM

6788 posts

You're very welcome, Donna. :)

I have not taken advantage of this generous benefit (still planning my trip to Turkey), but from everything I've read, the hotels they use are perfectly nice, safe, and located in good, tourist-friendly parts of the city (but you won't know exactly which one until they give you one - FWIW most reports I've read had the recipients pleasantly surprised and in some cases delighted).

It may also be worth noting, I believe if you qualify (based on length of the layover), you can choose between the complimentary hotel for the night, OR a complimentary guided tour of the city's major tourist sites (more useful than a hotel room, for many people with a long daytime layover).

In any case, this is a very generous benefit. Can you imagine a US airline offering this - for free? HAH! It seems Turkish Airlines has lots of surprises (by some measures now the "largest" airline in the world) - they are clearly trying very hard to stand out. Kudos to them.