Guide: Free Turkish Airlines Transit Hotel at Istanbul Airport

This guide explains how to take advantage of a free transit hotel when you have a Turkish Airlines flight connection at Istanbul Airport.

Turkish Airlines transit hotel

I’ve always enjoyed flying with Turkish Airlines, as the airline generally provides good service in both economy and business class.

Check out my recent Turkish Airlines business class review or my Turkish Airlines economy class review to see for yourself how pleasant flying with the airline can be.

Besides the good in-flight service, Turkish Airlines also offers some lesser-known perks, including a complimentary transit hotel for long layovers in Istanbul between connecting flights.

This perk should not be confused with the free stopover hotel that Turkish Airlines offers to eligible passengers, as it is an entirely different benefit with separate terms and conditions.

In this guide, I’ll explain what the complimentary transit hotel includes, who is eligible for it, and how to arrange it.

Moreover, I will also show how my experience was in making use of the free transit hotel service of Turkish Airlines when I flew from Cluj-Napoca to Minsk via Istanbul.

istanbul airport free transit hotel turkish airlines
Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan

When can you get a free transit hotel in Istanbul

If you’re flying economy class with Turkish Airlines, you must have a connection time of 12 hours or more in Istanbul to qualify for a complimentary transit hotel, while for business class passengers, the minimum is 9 hours.

Before you get your hopes up, you should note that a free transit hotel is only provided if the transfer time on your ticket is the shortest possible, as many people wrongly interpret this important condition.

It’s best to explain this at the hand of an example.

Let’s say we want to travel with Turkish Airlines from Edinburgh to Singapore.

If we search for flights on the Turkish Airlines website, we find one option with a 7 hour 15 minute connection in Istanbul, and one with a connection of 22 hours 40 minutes.

None of these flight options are eligible for a free transit hotel, as the first option has a transfer that is too short, and although the second option is theoretically long enough, it isn’t the shortest connection possible between Edinburgh and Singapore, meaning you won’t be eligible if you book it.

Even if the first option is no longer available due to one of the flights being fully booked, you still won’t get a free transit hotel, as it’s the airline schedule that counts, not what is available at the time of booking.

flight itinerary
None of these flights are eligible for a free transit hotel in Istanbul, as the first option doesn’t meet the minimum connection time, while the second option doesn’t qualify as it isn’t the shortest connection time possible. ©Screenshot

Another example

Let’s show another example where it is possible to get a free transit hotel in Istanbul.

We’re now changing our destination, and are looking for Turkish Airlines flights from Edinburgh to Freetown in Sierra Leone.

In this case, there is only one option, with a connection of 22 hours and 25 minutes in Istanbul between the arrival of the flight from Edinburgh and the departure to Freetown.

There are no shorter transfer times possible, as even on days when a second Edinburgh-Istanbul flight operates, it arrives too late in Istanbul for a same-day connection to one of the four weekly flights to Freetown.

Whether you fly economy or business class, in this case, you will benefit from a free transit hotel in Istanbul.

It’s exactly such thin routes – where you connect to and from destinations that might have only a daily flight or an even more infrequent service – that Turkish Airlines created the free transit hotel programme for, as it’s the only way to make an otherwise unattractively long connection far more pleasant.

When you fly on a route where your departure and/or destination airport is served by multiple Turkish Airlines flights a day, such as London to Cairo via Istanbul, or New York to Delhi via Istanbul, the chances of being eligible for a free transit hotel are close to zero.

sample itinerary
When you travel on this itinerary would be eligible for a free transit hotel in Istanbul due to the long layover and no shorter connections being available when flying between Edinburgh and Freetown. ©Screenshot

Other things to note

Before we move on to how you arrange your free transit hotel if you’re eligible, there are a couple of other important terms and conditions you should be aware of.

  • Only international flight connections between destinations outside of Turkey are eligible; if your flight departs from Turkey or has a Turkish airport as its destination, you won’t be eligible for a free transit hotel in Istanbul.

  • Your flights must be booked on a single ticket as one itinerary. If you book two separate tickets (such as two one-way flights, one Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul and another from Istanbul), you won’t be eligible for a transit hotel.

  • Both your flight in and out of Istanbul must be operated by Turkish Airlines. It’s fine if your flight is ticketed by another airline and booked as a codeshare, such as a flight from Chicago with a United Airlines flight number that is actually operated by Turkish Airlines.

  • If changes are made to your ticket before your flight and your scheduled connection time no longer meets the minimum requirements, you will no longer be eligible for the free transit hotel.

  • Passengers under the age of 18 can only use the free transit hotel service when accompanied by an adult.

  • Turkish Airlines will assign you a transit hotel, and you therefore won’t have a say in which hotel you stay at. Economy class passengers generally get a room in four-star hotels, while business class passengers are assigned a five-star hotel.

  • Turkish Airlines offers a maximum of two nights’ accommodation free of charge.

  • The free transit hotels of Turkish Airlines are not at Istanbul Airport but are located within the city. You will therefore have to pass through Turkish immigration and are responsible for meeting all entry requirements for Turkey. Any potential costs this might involve, such as arranging a visa or e-visa, are paid for by the passenger.

  • Transport from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel back to the airport, is arranged free of charge by Turkish Airlines and is usually provided by minibus.

istanbul airport turkish airlines free transit hotel
View from a Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 upon departure from Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan

How to arrange the free Turkish Airlines transit hotel in Istanbul

If you meet all the conditions and are eligible for a free transit hotel, all you need to do is to simply walk to the Turkish Airlines hotel desk in the international arrivals hall of Istanbul Airport.

You cannot arrange the transit hotel in advance by e-mail or phone, as it can only be arranged on the spot at the hotel desk in the arrivals hall of Istanbul Airport.

Once you have passed through passport control and exited the baggage reclaim area of Istanbul Airport, you simply turn right and walk to the far end of the international arrivals hall, where you will find the Turkish Airlines hotel desk on your right-hand side.

You simply hand over your passport and boarding passes to the Turkish Airlines employees at the hotel desk, who will then arrange your hotel.

They will then escort you to a minibus, which will take you to your assigned hotel, where you simply show your passport at the reception desk to check in.

The hotel will have your personal details in their booking system, so they will know you’re coming and that your stay is paid for by Turkish Airlines, making check-in normally very quick.

The hotel receptionist will also inform you of the time you need to be ready in the lobby for the transport to take you back to Istanbul Airport, which is usually scheduled to ensure you arrive at the airport three hours before your flight’s departure.

It’s obviously your responsibility to ensure you wake up in time and are ready for the transport back, as otherwise you may have to wait an hour or more for the next minibus to pick up passengers or need to arrange a taxi yourself.

turkish airlines boeing 737 max transit hotel istanbul airport
Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 at Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan

My own Turkish Airlines transit hotel experience

I was flying with Turkish Airlines from Cluj-Napoca in Romania to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, and knew I could also make use of the free transit hotel on this itinerary.

With my inbound flight arriving in Istanbul at 10.55pm and my outbound flight to Minsk departing the next day at 1pm, I had a layover of 14 hours and 5 minutes between my connecting flights.

This qualified me for a free transit hotel, as no shorter transfer time was possible, given that Cluj was served by a daily evening flight only and there were no earlier flights to Minsk than the one at 1pm.

Having visited the poor-quality business lounge at Cluj-Napoca Airport, I was happy to see that boarding of my flight had finally commenced, as I was eager to get to Istanbul for some much-needed sleep in a hotel after some intensive days.

Today’s flight from Cluj to Istanbul was overbooked in economy class, so two passengers — Turkish male students by the look of them — were left behind, arguing with the gate agent, as they appeared to have been bumped from the flight while the buses drove off to the remote parking spot of our plane at the apron.

I was the last one off the bus, which didn’t bother me at all since I only had a small rucksack that would fit under my seat, and it gave me plenty of time to snap some pictures of the plane.

The Turkish Airlines flight from Cluj to Istanbul, operated by an Airbus A320, was entirely uneventful and had the typical short-haul in-flight service, which this time included a cold meal box with a mozzarella and tomato salad, a tuna sandwich, a cup of water, and a nice little cake.

As the inbound flight had arrived in Cluj with a small delay and there was no way to make up for it in the air on the return flight to Turkey, we eventually landed in Istanbul about 30 minutes behind our scheduled arrival time.

Unfortunately, it took about 40 minutes from landing until we finally reached our remote parking position.

As a frequent Turkish Airlines flyer, I’m well aware that taxiing can take forever at Istanbul’s vast airport, but I’ve never experienced it as badly as on this flight.

Fortunately, I was on the first bus to the terminal, and with no queues at passport control and no luggage to reclaim, I could quickly make my way to the Turkish Airlines hotel desk.

turkish airlines airbus a320
Boarding my flight to Istanbul. ©Paliparan
turkish airlines cluj-napoca airport
Lovely sunset over Cluj-Napoca Airport as I board the Turkish Airlines plane. ©Paliparan
cluj-napoca plane take-off
Take-off from Cluj-Napoca. ©Paliparan
turkish airlines economy class meal
Economy class meal on my 2-hour flight from Cluj-Napoca to Istanbul. ©Paliparan
istanbul landing
Landing at Istanbul. ©Paliparan

At the Turkish Airlines hotel desk

Although many people seem to struggle to find the Turkish Airlines hotel desk, based on online reports, it is actually very easy to locate if you look up its location in advance.

Upon exiting the baggage reclaim area, I walked to the right into the large arrivals hall, where I easily found the Turkish Airlines hotel desk at the far end.

I handed my passport and boarding pass to the hotel desk employee, who returned my passport and then escorted me to some seats opposite the desk, where I was told to wait.

After some five to ten minutes, the same employee came back and announced one by one the names of the waiting passengers, returning their boarding passes and assigning them to a minibus driver.

With ten other passengers, I then followed our driver to his parked minibus, and we set off for our assigned hotel.

The process couldn’t have been easier, and the time from exiting the baggage reclaim area to entering the minibus for the drive to my free transit hotel was only about 15 minutes in total.

istanbul airport international arrivals hall turkish airlines hotel desk
Waiting in front of the hotel desk in the massive international arrivals hall of Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan

At the hotel

Most of the free transit hotels provided by Turkish Airlines are not located near Istanbul Airport, but rather in the area around the old Atatürk Airport, which was Istanbul’s main airport before the current one opened in 2019.

There isn’t much of interest in this part of the city, and the sights of Istanbul are quite far away, but since the purpose of a transit hotel is to get some rest or sleep, the location really shouldn’t matter.

That said, it’s something to be aware of, as some people have the expectation that the Turkish Airlines transit hotel will either be right in the airport terminal or in the city centre of Istanbul, which isn’t the case.

The free transit hotel Turkish Airlines assigned us to was the Marriott Courtyard Istanbul West, located a 30-minute drive from Istanbul Airport, or double that if the traffic is bad.

The Turkish Airlines minibus driver dropped us off in front of the hotel, and the reception staff instructed us to take a seat in the lobby, assuring us they would call us by name to the reception desk one by one.

Mercifully, I was the second person to be called, and within a minute, I had a room assigned to me.

No credit card or additional paperwork was required, other than handing over my passport for them to make a copy.

The entire process, from arriving at the hotel desk to entering my room, took just over an hour, but it was still quicker than I had expected.

My room was pretty good, and I managed to get around four to five hours of solid sleep before my alarm went off for a quick shower and an early morning conference call I had to attend.

Marriott Courtyard Istanbul West turkish airlines free transit hotel istanbul
My room at the Marriott Courtyard Istanbul West. ©Paliparan

Breakfast

Depending on the time and length of your layover, breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the hotel is generally included free of charge, which is another nice touch of the Turkish Airlines transit hotel programme.

As I arrived at the hotel late at night, only breakfast was included for me, and the buffet was quite decent in terms of both quality and quantity.

The day before at check-in, the hotel receptionist had already informed me of the time I needed to be back in the lobby for my ride to the airport.

And indeed, at the time that had been communicated to me, a Turkish Airlines minibus driver arrived at the hotel to take me and just two other passengers back to the airport.

After a quick ride, we arrived back at Istanbul Airport, with about three hours remaining until the departure of my flight.

istanbul airport
Istanbul Airport as seen from the motorway. ©Paliparan
istanbul airport international departures terminal
The minibus driver dropped us off right outside the international departures terminal of Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan

At the lounge

As I already had my boarding pass printed the day before in Romania, I immediately made my way to the fast-track security line, and within minutes, I was through both security and passport control.

Just like my flight from Cluj-Napoca to Istanbul, my connecting flight to Minsk was also in economy class, but as I have Star Alliance gold status through Turkish Airlines’ frequent flyer programme, I was able to enter the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Lounge to await my flight departure in comfort.

As I had already enjoyed a cooked breakfast at the hotel, I skipped the extensive food offering in the lounge and instead enjoyed some juice and a coffee or two while catching up on emails and work on my laptop.

Looking at some of the other passengers – many of whom seemed extremely tired, having just come off a long-haul Turkish Airlines flight or stayed overnight in the airport lounge – I was certainly glad I managed to get a good night’s sleep at my transit hotel.

turkish airlines miles&smiles lounge star alliance gold review
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Lounge. ©Paliparan
turkish coffee business lounge
Orange juice and a Turkish coffee in the business lounge. ©Paliparan
koen turkish coffee
I felt well-rested and fully awake after a good night’s sleep in the transit hotel and a coffee or two. ©Paliparan

Boarding

After spending some time in the lounge, I headed to my boarding gate, which fortunately was only a short walk away in this massive airport.

Boarding had not yet began, so I queued up in an empty priority line.

Turkish Airlines does priority boarding well, as all their gates at Istanbul Airport have clearly signposted lines for business class and Star Alliance gold passengers, as well as separate queues for other passengers based on seat number (one for the front of the plane and one for the rear).

Within minutes, another person joined the priority line behind me, and I ended up having a funny chat with him.

The man, a short but muscled fire brigade colonel from Kuwait, told me he was about to depart on his annual hunting trip in the forests of Belarus.

As boarding time was delayed by 15 minutes, we both ended up having an animated chat with the gate agents.

The Kuwaiti passenger started poking fun at the three gate agents – two younger-looking Turkish men, probably around 20, and one older man, likely in his early 40s – for being extremely thin, joking that they could use some more training and a bit more chicken meat in their diet.

Coupled with some of the gate agents’ struggle to communicate fluently in English (although they spoke basic English), it turned into quite a humorous conversation, and the extra 15 to 20 minutes’ wait flew by.

We also joked about a woman among the passengers heading to Minsk, who had both her kids attached to her wrist on a leash, as if they were dogs – a concept neither of us could quite fathom.

When boarding started, we both gave the gate agents a good handshake and waved them goodbye as we both walked to our seats in the cabin.

It’s chance international airport encounters like these that make air travel fun.

leash children
Woman with her children on a leash at the boarding gate. ©Paliparan

Turkish Airlines flight to Minsk

The flight from Istanbul to Minsk was operated by a Turkish Airlines Airbus A321, and I was seated in the bulkhead row of economy class, in seat 5A.

Being in a chatty mood, I had a fun conversation with one of the flight attendants while boarding was underway.

She told me that the crew had already completed a domestic return flight from Istanbul to Ankara and was now set to fly to Minsk and back – talk about a long day!

The flight attendants were all in good spirits though, and ended up delivering service with a smile throughout the flight.

The flight was about 90% full in economy class, and with boarding completed relatively quickly, we soon pushed back from the gate and taxied towards the runway.

Once again, the flight was quite pleasant, with the highlight being a good-quality economy class meal service, something you can always expect from Turkish Airlines.

I opted for the beef köfte with grilled veggies and rice, which included some hazelnut mousse for dessert.

For the rest of the flight, I simply listened to music while enjoying the views from the window of cloud formations, the Black Sea, and the Ukrainian countryside.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, we were on final approach to Minsk, with endless green fields and patches of forest stretching as far as the eye could see from the window.

After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, we landed on time at Minsk Airport, which had a very cool-looking terminal building.

It was actually my first time at Minsk Airport, despite having visited Belarus twice before – both times travelling in and out of the country by train.

I was certainly excited to be back in Belarus and eager to explore Minsk to see how much it had changed since my last visit seven years earlier.

istanbul airport
Taxiing towards the runway at Istanbul Airport. ©Paliparan
take-off view istanbul airport
Istanbul Airport take-off view. ©Paliparan
istanbul minsk turkish airlines flight economy class meal lunch
Tasty economy class meal on my Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Minsk. ©Paliparan
window view clouds
View from the window. ©Paliparan
Bila Tserkva Air Base
Flying over Bila Tserkva Air Base in Ukraine. ©Paliparan
final approach minsk airport
View on final approach to Minsk. ©Paliparan
minsk airport belarus
Taxiing across the apron of Minsk Airport towards the terminal. ©Paliparan
minsk airport belarus
Minsk Airport. ©Paliparan

Conclusion

The free transit hotel offered by Turkish Airlines for passengers with long flight connections at Istanbul Airport is a fantastic perk.

The entire process of arranging my free transit hotel on arrival couldn’t have been easier, and the transport between Istanbul Airport and the hotel was well-organised by Turkish Airlines.

Almost all of the hotels Turkish Airlines uses as transit hotels are located near the old Atatürk Airport, about a 40-minute drive from Istanbul Airport, so do take this into account.

Business class passengers are generally assigned a five-star hotel by Turkish Airlines, while economy class passengers get a four-star hotel, and in my case, that was the Marriott Courtyard Istanbul West, which was perfectly comfortable.

It’s important to note that the terms and conditions of the free transit hotel programme of Turkish Airlines are quite strict, as you must have a connection time of 12 hours or more in Istanbul as an economy class passenger to qualify for a complimentary transit hotel, while for business class passengers, the minimum is 9 hours.

Your connection time must also be the shortest possible, as any itinerary with a layover at Istanbul Airport of over 9 hours for business class or 12 hours for economy, while shorter flight connections are available, will not qualify you for a free transit hotel.

Since I had a layover of 14 hours at Istanbul Airport between the arrival of my Turkish Airlines flight from Cluj-Napoca and my onward flight to Minsk, I was eligible for a free transit hotel, which made my journey much more comfortable.

Given that I only paid €120 for my one-way flight from Cluj-Napoca to Minsk — and got a free transit hotel in Istanbul included in the price — it was certainly a stellar deal and the main reason I opted to fly with Turkish Airlines instead of their competitors, as it made an otherwise unappealing flight schedule with an overnight layover rather attractive.

Trip report index

This article is part of the ‘Back to Central Asia: Travels Through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:

1. Review: TAROM Domestic Flight Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca
2. Cluj-Napoca: A Travel Guide to Transylvania’s Vibrant Capital
3. Turda Salt Mine and Gorge: An Easy Cluj-Napoca Day Trip
4. Cheile Turzii: Hiking Through the Impressive Turda Gorge
5. Review: Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge
6. Guide: Free Turkish Airlines Transit Hotel at Istanbul Airport (current chapter)
7. Minsk, Belarus: Chasing Soviet Ghosts in One of Europe’s Last Dictatorships
8. Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class Minsk-Istanbul-Almaty
9. A Visit to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s Vibrant Economic Capital

** rest of the chapters to follow soon **

Avatar photo

Koen

Koen works as a freelance journalist covering south-eastern Europe and is the founding father and editor-in-chief of Paliparan. As a contributor to some major Fleet Street newspapers and some lesser known publications in the Balkans, he travels thousands of miles each year for work as well as on his personal holidays. Whether it is horse riding in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, exploring the backstreets of Bogotá, or sipping a glass of moschofilero in a Greek beachside taverna, Koen loves to immerse himself into the local culture, explore new places and eat and drink himself around the world. You can follow Koen on his travels on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. If you enjoyed this travel article and found the information provided useful, please consider supporting us. Although we gladly share all information for free at Paliparan.com, a one-time donation is a great way to help out an independent publisher! You can support Paliparan by buying us a coffee for €5, or by making a donation through PayPal. Thank you for your support!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.