Raffles Istanbul

Overview

Raffles Istanbul fills one of the four towers of Zorlu Center, a mixed-use complex in Beşiktaş. The complex combines homes, offices, a hotel, a shopping mall and a performing arts center. Raffles set the hotel's opening for September 1, 2014, after years of construction. Today, it has 185 rooms and suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies. Unlike the palace hotels on the shore, it is a 21st-century building, so its story is the complex around it.

Zorlu Center: The Building Behind Raffles Istanbul

Who designed Zorlu Center

Emre Arolat Architecture designed Zorlu Center, a project that ran from 2007 to 2014. The architects reshaped the ground into a sloping shell. This shell then becomes a middle layer that links the complex's different uses. After that, it splits into two arms at different levels. The fourth tower holds the Raffles hotel. In all, the built area is 720,000 square meters (7.75 million square feet).

Five uses in one complex

Zorlu Center brings five uses together: homes, offices, a hotel, a mall, and culture and the arts. Its mall holds more than 200 brands in 74,643 square meters (803,450 square feet) of leasable space. There is a main square of 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres), while the park covers 12,000 square meters (3 acres). The same complex holds the Zorlu Performing Arts Center (PSM). So a show at the PSM needs no car ride from the hotel.

Where Raffles Istanbul Sits

The hotel's address is Vadi Street in Levazım, in the Beşiktaş district. Levent, Ulus and Etiler are nearby districts. Roads from Ulus, Levent, Barbaros and Zincirlikuyu lead to the complex. When you come by public transport, the metro and the metrobus both have a direct link.

Bosphorus views from Raffles Istanbul

The hotel stands on one of the city's hills, so its views come from height. Its Bosphorus Lounge has panoramic views. For the shore itself, our Bosphorus guide walks you through the waterfront neighborhoods.

Who Raffles Istanbul Suits

It suits travelers who want a modern building and contemporary art more than Ottoman history. That is because the hotel's interiors hold a large collection of commissioned art. Shoppers and theatergoers also have the mall and the PSM in the same complex. Business travelers have Levent, one of the city's business districts, nearby. For a historic stay instead, compare the Pera Palace Hotel or our guide on where to stay in Istanbul.

Staying at Raffles Istanbul

For food and drinks, there are İsokyo, which serves Asian dishes, and the Lavinia Lounge. Then there are the Long Bar and the Writers Bar, a members-only bar with a literary theme. The hotel has a butler team, and it arranges limousine and helicopter transfers. We book your room at Raffles Istanbul and plan dinner and your days around it.

The spa and pool at Raffles Istanbul

Raffles Spa covers 3,000 square meters (32,300 square feet). It has Turkish baths, saunas, vitality pools and sensory showers. Natural light falls on the indoor pool. Finally, a fitness studio with personal trainers completes the list.

Updated: October 25, 2026.

Seeing Istanbul with Us

A hilltop view is one thing, but the Bosphorus is closer from the water. Would you like a day on a cruise on the Bosphorus or on our Bosphorus tour? The view from the hill at Zorlu is wide, but the water is closer by boat; give us your stay and we plan the cruise.