Continuing seamlessly in the same vein as the rest of the hotel, the 10 guest rooms in Les Ottomans - all of which are suites - are decorated in an eccentric fashion displaying a particular old fashioned taste.
Setting aside any personal stylistic tastes, they are well worth a look for their period sofas, intense green wallpaper, and satin curtains pulled back from the windows with thick cords.
The ambience is created by a combination of brightly coloured fabrics and traditional materials (the solid wooden doors are very beautiful), but it unfortunately veers towards the showy (the lamps with imitation candle bulbs go a step too far), and there is a tendency to clutter the spaces up, as mentioned above. At the end of the day, the abundance of decorative features means there is not much available space left over.
However, there is no shortness of technology here. In addition to the usual amenities provided for guests' comfort and convenience (ranging from satellite television to the automatically adjustable air-conditioning, not to mention room service), there is also a printer in each room.
The question is, how can these two aspects of the suites, i.e. the modern luxury and eccentric old features, be reconciled?
Once again, the answer is style. The rooms, each of which is named after a sultan, have the advantage of each being different to the last, which leaves a great deal of scope when it comes to the decor.
The second suite we visited, just like the rest of the rooms, has a very high ceiling. It has therefore been possible to construct the room on two levels and light it in a unique way.
Here too, there is evidence of an almost obsessive eye for detail dictating exactly how the decorative features should be arranged around the room. A purple sofa brightens up the space while other adornments include period mirrors and the sculpted wood entrance door decorated with marquetry and its original knocker. Meanwhile, the design of the parquet flooring helps light reach even the most sheltered parts of the room.
On the floor above, the ambience is satin-soft. The intense colour of the bronze wash basin only serves to intensify the velvety feel of the bedroom, even though it is only a few square metres in size.
The window overlooks the street but there is nothing particularly attractive about the view.
The bathrooms all come with 'Quintessentially Reserve' hospitality products, which are also to be found in the W Istanbul hotel and are produced specifically for a series of luxury hotels.
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
