Doubletree by Hilton Van

The good: the room is big and fairly clean. The hotel staff are friendly and helpful. The bad: the shower in the room is one of those annoying European style showers with no door, so when I shower the bathroom floor gets all wet no matter how careful I am when showering. Our room had a large shelf which was very welcome for putting things on. However it also had a large desk which wasted a lot of space. Overall we got a very good sleep at this hotel which made the next morning good for us.

We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton for its proximity to the airport and overall brand reputation. As expected from a Hilton, the rooms were clean and comfortable, and the buffet breakfast was solid with a good variety. The staff were polite, and the location is convenient for travelers needing quick access to the airport. That said, there were quite a few disappointments that made the stay feel far from a 5-star experience. - Basic amenities were missing: No drinking water or tissue paper in the room — which was quite surprising for a hotel charging AUD 250 per night. - Unacceptable noise levels: A wedding was held in the hotel’s backyard, and the loud music went on well past bedtime. I had to request that they shut it down at 11 PM just to get some sleep. Not ideal for weary travelers. - Restaurant payment issue: The restaurant insisted on cash payments — not even allowing us to charge the meal to our room. This is extremely inconvenient and unprofessional, especially since many guests, like us, don’t carry much local currency. It felt out of place for a Hilton-branded property. - Language barrier: Perhaps the most frustrating part — almost no one on staff could speak English, including the reception. I would ask questions in English, and they’d respond in Turkish. This made even simple interactions unnecessarily difficult and awkward. For an international chain, this was very unexpected and disappointing. Overall, while the basics were there, the experience fell short of what you’d expect from Hilton in terms of service and professionalism. Would only recommend if proximity to the airport is your main concern — and if you’re prepared for a few surprises.

The hotel itself isn’t bad, but several major issues: 1- The hotel is very far from everywhere. Taxis costs about $20 to get from the city to the hotel. It is on the left side of the road with no u-turns for several km, so the taxis have to go very far to make a u-turn to drop you off. There is absolutely nothing around the hotel. So every time you want to go to the town, it will cost you $40 2- The staff doesn’t speak English well. They also try to rip you off. Ordered a Turkish beer to my room, they brought me Miller Lite then they tell me they don’t understand me 3- the hotel is next to the airport, yet they have no shuttles to the airport. Big oversight. For a relatively expensive hotel, this hotel has big flaws