The Bank Hotel, Istanbul

Your room at The Bank Hotel, Istanbul, makes an immediate impact. As the door clicks open, you’re immediately struck by the double-height, ornately detailed ceilings, oversized arched windows and full-length mirrors. The soft color scheme of greens and greys and luxuriously spacious beds make it feel like a relaxing refuge from the hustle of the city outside, and also a nod to its culture-blending history.

Smack-bang in the middle of the lively Karaköy district and with views of the waterfront and old town, The Bank Hotel is the perfect location for a spontaneous getaway to Istanbul. With the buzzing, tourist-friendly areas of Beyoğlu and Sultanahmet close by, it’s an ideal base for travelers immersing themselves in Turkish city life. The 63 rooms come in seven sizes, from a cozy Classic Room up to the show-stopping Penthouse Suite with bathtub. Pictured above is the Deluxe King Room, with patterned ceilings and green Carrara-marble bathroom with a rainforest shower. The 15-foot ceilings and large windows (with a cool motorized curtain system) make the rooms feel larger still.

The hotel is set in the Sümerbank Building, which dates back to 1867 and was a bank for most of its life—the original vault beneath it is now a wine cellar, and the hotel still contains calculators and cash registers from its previous incarnation. Its current owners took over the building in 2010 to relaunch it as a hotel, and while it still has a grand sense of history, it’s the little touches, cute extras, and attention to detail that really make this a room to remember.

The Bank Hotel Istanbul

Emek yemez mh. Bankalar cd. No 5, Istanbul, 34421

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Justin Quirk

Author

Justin Quirk is Associate Creative Director of Editorial at Expedia Group, as well as a writer and editor who has worked for titles including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Esquire about music, design, and current affairs. He is also the author of Nothin’ But a Good Time, an acclaimed cultural history of 1980s heavy metal.