![A green velvet sofa inside the Regie Ottoman hotel](https://images.suitcasemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/10201600/nine-istanbul-hotels-for-a-sultry-summer-break_652e7bc02ac07.jpeg)
hotel
Régie Ottoman
First impressions of this slick city townhouse disguise the
hotel’s history; the 150-year-old building was once home to the
tobacco-trading company partly responsible for bankrolling the
Ottoman empire.Today, the founders of Régie Ottoman pay tribute to
its former glory with a sharp industrial aesthetic that
occasionally nods to heritage. There’s exposed brickwork,
burnished-copper fittings and just a touch of Ottoman-era nostalgia
(opulent green-velvet sofas, elegantly latticed room screens and
the occasional antique). Halfway between the Grand Bazaar and the
waterside, the 34-bedroom hotel is well placed for a long weekend
in the city, and its brand new Ocak restaurant is head and
shoulders above your average hotel joint. Expect family-style
recipes, elevated a few notches and washed down with natural wine
or cocktails.