The Stay Nisantasi

The second of the Istanbul-based Stay hotels, and sister to the Stay Bosphorus in Ortaköy, the Stay Nisantasi is perhaps the slightly glossier and more modern of the two. The design, by the very same Autoban Design Group, is another modern classic in neutral tones, occupying a grey area somewhere between a high-design boutique hotel and a genteel, European-inflected luxury apartment house.

It’s also a bit bigger than the Galatasaray location, and perhaps a bit more accessible at the lower end of its offerings: the forty-four units include some suites, yes, but some humbler king and twin rooms as well. Of course when it comes to hotels, humility is relative — even the basic rooms here are swanky and smart, decked out in custom-designed wood furniture and all the mod-luxe basics.

As for public spaces, they’re fairly minimal, with little more than a shared lounge. It’s a more versatile space than a traditional dining room — its centerpiece is Autoban’s custom-made bookcase, which lends a reading-room aspect to the proceedings — and as such it’s everything a hotel guest could want from an all-in-one common space. With a location in a bustling neighborhood, home to no end of restaurants and cafés — and directly upstairs from the Prada store — the Stay Nisantasi is more pied-à-terre than urban resort.