On the plus side, the Hotel Poem is located in a quiet part of Sultanahmet just off the busy Akbiyik Caddesi. We were concerned at first that the noise from the main street would keep us awake but our fears were unfounded. There is also a delightful garden terrace on the ground floor where you can take breakfast in the relative cool of the morning. Breakfast is the same every day but the quality is good.

On the minus side, I would describe the Poem as a B&B really. There's no bar or facilities for meals and the roof terrace looks rather neglected - I didn't see anyone up there during our stay.
We had a triple room called Copper Age which overlooks the garden terrace. It was pretty cramped for three people and I wouldn't want to stay there for more than a week. That said, it was clean with a reasonable sized bathroom with a good shower. There was also satellite TV, minibar and the air conditioning system in the bedroom was very efficient.

The staff were reasonably friendly ( there was a very nice German-speaking room maid) and the lady receptionist helped arrange our visit to the Selimiye Barracks in Uskudar. My overall impression however was that the staff were bored and lacked much motivation. I don't know who owns the hotel but I think that much more could be made of it. It feels like the owners have simply lost interest.

If visiting Istanbul for a short stay of maybe three to four nights then quiet location and generally adequate standards of the Poem makes it good value for money.

My friend and I recently stayed in Hotel Poem, and we were not impressed!
Firstly, when we arrived at just gone midnight, we were told that they had made a mistake and had let our room for the night. This was despite the fact that we had contacted the hotel that morning before we left home to conform our booking! They then said that it was ok because they had arranged for us to stay at another hotel and that they would pay for a taxi to take us to it. However, the taxi driver took us to the wrong hotel, and we ended up having to walk to the other hotel - with our luggage - in the middle of the night. When we complained about this and asked for a reduction as means of compensation, we were refused, and told that at least we didn’t have to sleep on the street!
We also later found out that they appear to ‘double book’ on a regular basis, and they had done so to another lady who arrived midday as we were leaving.
Secondly the room was tiny! We stayed in a twin room which was only really big enough to be a single, and only one of us could stand up at a time!
Thirdly we found the hotel staff (with the exception of the cleaners) to be unfriendly and unhelpful on the whole. One of the staff even refused to order us a taxi to go to a fish restaurant (by the fish market) that I had visited before, and argued with me when I said it was much cheaper and better than the restaurants on the Bosphus Bridge (which I was scammed at the year before). I have travelled to Turkey many times and I can honestly say that in the past I have always found the Turkish people to be very helpful and friendly; this is the worst treatment that I have had in any hotel there.
Istanbul is a fabulous city with many good hotels, often at very reasonable prices; unfortunately Hotel Poem is not one of these. My advice is to look around for deals and stay somewhere else. I can however recommend Hotel Artefes round the corner, where I stayed last year, which has much better rooms, service and very helpful and friendly staff.

Having read earlier reviews we booked War & Lovers, which has a fabulous view. (though you need to be agile to get in and out of the bath!) Unfortunately we had to spend the first night in a really tiny room called Sunday. Location is absolutely ideal and very peaceful, breakfast on the terrace is lovely - not much choice but very good bread (perhaps from that bakery round the corner - there's a wonderful smell every time you walk past). It was my first visit to Istanbul and I loved it. For a good meal with fantastic views go to the restaurant on top of the Storks building at Eminonou, near Galata Bridge - you can't miss it. It's a fabulous spot and the staff are great. Also make sure you have lunch at Konyali restaurant in grounds of Topkapi - another beautfiul spot. I can't wait to go back.

We found this hotel because our guide book loved it - but we found the hotel pretty average. The room turned out to be a twin room (they promoised us a double room), it was also very small, and the staff weren't that friendly at all. We stayed there for 5 nights - but I'm afraid to say that when we next go back to Istanbul, we will be choosing a different hotel!