YOTELAIR Airside – Your Best Choice to Sleep During Your Istanbul Layover
Know more about Yotel, specifically our personal experience with YOTELAIR Airside in Istanbul Airport during our layover!
During a long hour transit when traveling, it is not really a good idea to just stay at the airport. We all know that’s tiring and not really convenient. Especially if you’re too tired from your trip already. The good news is that YOTEL has numerous hotels in different parts of the world! It has 18 hotels globally consist of YOTEL, YOTELAIR, and YOTELPAD that all serve the same purpose of giving you a high-quality stay but in a different kind of situation. In our case, we stayed at YOTELAIR in Istanbul Airport Airside! And we’ll share with you our amazing experience below.
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About YOTELAIR Istanbul Airport Airside
Yotel has 2 hotels at Istanbul Airport; the Airside and the Landside. YOTELAIR Airside in Istanbul Airport is conveniently located in Istanbul Airport Airside. It is the best choice if you’re transiting. Why? YOTELAIR is just minutes away from your departure gate. For this reason, it is considered the best solution if you have a very early flight, long transits, or if your flight has been delayed.
Planning to stay overnight before your next flight? or do you just want to relax for a few hours? Whatever your reason is, YOTELAIR in Istanbul Airport is the best choice. As to what the hotel is saying, it is a salvation for transit passengers waiting for their new flights.
Cabins at the YOTELAIR Airside
YOTELAIR Airside in Istanbul Airport has a total of 280 rooms or Cabins. All these cabins feature a comfortable bed with luxurious beddings. In the bathroom, you’ll find a relaxing and rejuvenating rain shower. Furthermore, there are also relaxing mood lights, numerous charging points, and smart TVs that you can easily connect to your devices.
Another thing that sets YOTELAIR superior is its Komyuniti Lounge. Their Komyuniti Lounge is the place where you can meet, hang out, eat, relax, and refresh just before your flight! Not only that but they also offer food 24 hours a day.
Where is YOTELAIR Istanbul Airport Airside Located?
When you’re at the airport, you will find YOTELAIR within the main terminal building on the Departures Floor which is on the 2nd floor in the Transit (Duty-Free) Area. All you have to do is follow Gates A and B then you will find the hotel next to the LCW Store. With this very easy-to-understand guide, you won’t have a hard time finding YOTELAIR.
Our Personal Experience with YOTELAIR Istanbul Airport Airside
When we decided to travel from Montenegro to Moldova for a week exploring wineries and lesser-visited attractions, we found that the only flight options available involved a 20-hour layover in Istanbul. Thankfully, we were able to upgrade our flights to Business Class with Turkish Airlines so that on the way to Moldova we were given a 5-star hotel in Istanbul. We used the opportunity to catch up on sleep and then spend a couple of hours revisiting Istanbul’s Sultanahmet area.
On the way home to Montenegro, however, we didn’t want to go through the hassle of getting an E-Visa and another PCR test simply to sleep in a hotel an hour away from the airport. That’s when we decided to try something new – Yotelair in Istanbul Airport!
When we landed in Istanbul at midnight, we collected our boarding cards for the next day’s flight and then passed the International Transfer Security using the Business Class line. As soon as we passed security we went straight to Yotelair, which is only a short walk from the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge. Even more convenient!
The hotel is clearly in high demand with international travelers as the line to check-in was all the way out of the door! However, with a team of four staff working it didn’t take very long to get processed and checked in. We were told that we would have access to the Yotelair Komyuniti Lounge and all the food and drinks, with a late checkout until just before our flight! Our room was also far bigger than we expected as it was a Premium Plus King room!
Unfortunately, just after we arrived Kach started feeling ill with a lot of pain in her right abdomen. It was so painful that she couldn’t sit, stand, or even lie down without excruciating pain. With our flight to Montenegro the next day and knowing that we didn’t want to have to visit a hospital at the moment, we decided to call a doctor. The Yotelair staff took care of everything and were incredibly helpful.
The night manager, in particular, Senol, took the whole situation in hand, calling the airport emergency medics to the room, swiftly followed by an on-call doctor. The doctor did his examination and was able to rule out anything dangerous or life-threatening that would prevent us from flying. He did give us a prescription that would relieve the pain and some advice for what to do when we get back home to Montenegro.
Senol coordinated with the airport staff and the pharmacy to collect the prescription himself and even deliver it to our room. We could not have done this without him as the pharmacy is located on the other side of immigration and customs.
It is in situations like this where you find yourselves in a situation where you really need help, that you remember the value of helpful people! We want to say a massive thank you to all of the Yotelair staff that night, especially Senol!
Things To Remember Upon Staying
There are things that YOTELAIR wants to let you know before you stay here.
1. If you have a valid international boarding pass and/or are transiting, then you can stay at YOTELAIR. Please note that you must have these before you can access YOTELAIR.
There are exceptions though. If you are coming from the city center, another local destination, or via a domestic flight, and are able to check-in and get your boarding card early enough to pass to the Duty-Free area and have time to stay, then you can also stay at YOTELAIR. For this, you need to check your check-in time with your airline.
2. If, however, you don’t have the above-mentioned requirements and you’re just arriving at the airport from Istanbul and are about to leave the airport during your stay, then you can choose the Yotel on the Landside instead.
3. You won’t have any access to your luggage when arriving via an international flight. Why? It’s because the hotel is located before the luggage claim. This means you will have no access to your luggage and you won’t be able to retrieve your checked luggage while staying at the hotel.
4. You don’t need to complete Immigration and Customs Paperwork to access the hotel. Since YOTELAIR is located before you get to Immigration and Customs, then you don’t need to complete such papers. However, you still have to go through International Transfer Security.
5. Since your luggage is not with you, that means only hand luggage or hand-carry are permitted inside the hotel. Same with the aviation rules regarding liquids and container sizes also apply here. No worries as YOTELAIR provides high-quality shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and hand soap in all of their cabins.
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