I stayed in a 140-square-foot windowless hotel room inside the Istanbul Airport during my 15-hour layover — see inside my tiny room

Brittany ChangJun 18, 2023, 19:08 IST

My 140-square-foot Yotelair had mood lights, an adjustable bed, but no windows.Brittany Chang/Insider

I stayed in a Yotelair hotel inside the Istanbul Airport for about $230 during my 15-hour layover.
The hotel was located among the airport terminal's luxury stores, restaurants, and gift shops.

Waking up before sunrise to wait an hour in an airport security screening line and even longer at the gate is a miserable modern human experience, at least for me (a big complainer).

So when I had the opportunity to book a room in the airside Yotelair hotel during my 15-hour overnight layover in Istanbul, I figured it would be a worthwhile time saver. I would pay anything — in this case $230 — to skip the boring wait inside airports. Plus, a sleepover inside an airport terminal sounded fun (in a "Night at the Museum" kind of way).

But it came at a non-monetary cost: My 140-square-foot hotel room might have been one of the smallest and most expensive cost-per-square-foot rooms I've stayed in.

Let's take a look around my accommodations for the night.

This was no typical Yotel hotel you might have seen in various major cities.

Yotel

Instead, it's located inside the Istanbul International Airport by the gates for international flights.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And you can't book a room unless you have a boarding pass for said flight, according to the hotel.

Brittany Chang/Insider

So if you're staying for a layover, there's no need to go out and back through airport security just to check into the hotel.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And the morning after, all you have to do is walk out of the hotel and head straight to your gate.

Brittany Chang/Insider

It's a convenient way to spend a long layover inside one of the world's flashiest airports with rows of stores like Hermes, Cartier, and Saint Laurent.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But don't expect a hotel as glamorous as the surrounding stores.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The Yotelair is perched at the end of a wide hallway that branches off from all of these airside luxury shops, dining venues, and gift stores.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And the hotel itself was pretty bare bones despite being located off of a robust shopping center.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Inside, the small lobby had a convenient flight information display system, vending machines, and a separate lounge available to guests for almost $50 or to travelers who aren't staying at the hotel for $71.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Inside, the small lobby had a convenient flight information display system, vending machines, and a separate lounge available to guests for almost $50 or to travelers who aren't staying at the hotel for $71.

My room, located on the second floor, was about as naked as the lobby for travelers who didn't want to dish out this extra cash.

Brittany Chang/Insider

My "premium queen" room — the smallest 140-square-foot option — was bleakly modern with white walls and decor reminiscent of a Japanese capsule hotel.

Brittany Chang/Insider

There wasn't a table, bathtub, wiggle room, or most jarringly, a window.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead, it had all of the bare necessities: a bed that faced the television, a bathroom, and a small closet.

Brittany Chang/Insider

There were small nooks of storage throughout the room, like a drawer and some shelves in the wall-mounted TV console.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But if you're only here for a one-night layover, you probably won't end up taking full advantage of these units.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The bathroom, which could be separated from the bedroom with a drawn curtain, was like any other bathroom.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But for some reason, my shower door didn't close all the way.

Brittany Chang/Insider

So by the time I had finished showering, the floor of my room had also received a quick bath.

Brittany Chang/Insider

At least there were some neat features I hadn't seen in other hotel rooms before.

Brittany Chang/Insider

To jazz up the cold contemporary look, the room had a dial of mood lighting options, turning my stale white room into a sleepy blue, for example.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And instead of a window, there was a warmly lit panel that loosely resembled a fluffy cloud-lined sunset.

Brittany Chang/Insider

I would have preferred a window.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And the room had what Yotel calls its "signature" adjustable bed, which functions like the Sleep Number beds I've seen in countless TV advertisements.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Besides this, the small room — and the hotel itself — didn't offer much else.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But its location inside the bustling terminal is hard to beat.

Brittany Chang/Insider

So there might not be much to do inside the Yotelair but at least there's a full mall outside of its front doors.

Brittany Chang/Insider

While I would have preferred to leave the airport and explore the city, I had work and sleep to catch up on. And the Yotelair allowed me to do just that.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Ultimately, if you stay here, you'll be paying more for convenience than luxury.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And being able to roll out of bed and onto my flight the next morning was certainly a luxury I never had before.

Brittany Chang/Insider

I stayed in a 5-star Hawaii hotel for $2,275 a night. In my room, I was shocked to find amenities I'd never seen before.

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I stayed in a 140-square-foot windowless hotel room inside the Istanbul Airport during my 15-hour layover &mdash; see inside my tiny room

This was no typical Yotel hotel you might have seen in various major cities.

Instead, it's located inside the Istanbul International Airport by the gates for international flights.

And you can't book a room unless you have a boarding pass for said flight, according to the hotel.

So if you're staying for a layover, there's no need to go out and back through airport security just to check into the hotel.

And the morning after, all you have to do is walk out of the hotel and head straight to your gate.

It's a convenient way to spend a long layover inside one of the world's flashiest airports with rows of stores like Hermes, Cartier, and Saint Laurent.

But don't expect a hotel as glamorous as the surrounding stores.

The Yotelair is perched at the end of a wide hallway that branches off from all of these airside luxury shops, dining venues, and gift stores.

And the hotel itself was pretty bare bones despite being located off of a robust shopping center.

Inside, the small lobby had a convenient flight information display system, vending machines, and a separate lounge available to guests for almost $50 or to travelers who aren't staying at the hotel for $71.

My room, located on the second floor, was about as naked as the lobby for travelers who didn't want to dish out this extra cash.

My "premium queen" room — the smallest 140-square-foot option — was bleakly modern with white walls and decor reminiscent of a Japanese capsule hotel.

There wasn't a table, bathtub, wiggle room, or most jarringly, a window.

Instead, it had all of the bare necessities: a bed that faced the television, a bathroom, and a small closet.

There were small nooks of storage throughout the room, like a drawer and some shelves in the wall-mounted TV console.

But if you're only here for a one-night layover, you probably won't end up taking full advantage of these units.

The bathroom, which could be separated from the bedroom with a drawn curtain, was like any other bathroom.

But for some reason, my shower door didn't close all the way.

So by the time I had finished showering, the floor of my room had also received a quick bath.

At least there were some neat features I hadn't seen in other hotel rooms before.

To jazz up the cold contemporary look, the room had a dial of mood lighting options, turning my stale white room into a sleepy blue, for example.

And instead of a window, there was a warmly lit panel that loosely resembled a fluffy cloud-lined sunset.

I would have preferred a window.

And the room had what Yotel calls its "signature" adjustable bed, which functions like the Sleep Number beds I've seen in countless TV advertisements.

Besides this, the small room — and the hotel itself — didn't offer much else.

But its location inside the bustling terminal is hard to beat.

So there might not be much to do inside the Yotelair but at least there's a full mall outside of its front doors.

While I would have preferred to leave the airport and explore the city, I had work and sleep to catch up on. And the Yotelair allowed me to do just that.

Ultimately, if you stay here, you'll be paying more for convenience than luxury.

And being able to roll out of bed and onto my flight the next morning was certainly a luxury I never had before.

I stayed in a 140-square-foot windowless hotel room inside the Istanbul Airport during my 15-hour layover — see inside my tiny room