I don't have a question...I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted in an earlier thread on this topic (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/turkey/stopover-in-istanbul-anybody-avail-themselves-of-this-turkish-airlines); posting here because that thread has been automatically closed due to inactivity. To pay that help forward in some small measure, here's a brief report on my experience:
We're visiting Istanbul in Feb.-Mar. 2025, starting in the US but stopping over in Istanbul for three nights on our return from Athens via Turkish Airlines. I couldn't use the airline's web form for the stopover request because of the peculiarities of my reservation (my son was booked under a separate flight record; with economy air tickets, I qualified for only 2 nights but was staying 3 nights), but it was no problem to email the airline. They sent me a form to fill out (actually a spreadsheet). A post on the thread I referenced above lists the hotels available to economy-class travelers; I found two that were in the Old Town area we wanted, decided which of those we preferred and noted that in the form I filled out. I received a pdf hotel voucher 10 days later with the hotel we wanted and then booked the third (final) night myself.
Thanks again, fellow travelers!