InterContinental Istanbul Hotel

Time flies, and it has been more than three months since I stayed at the InterContinental Istanbul in Turkey, but the deep impression this hotel left on me is still vivid in my mind. On the morning of January 3rd, I went to the hotel to check in. As a Diamond Elite member of the InterContinental Hotels Group, I was able to enjoy the thoughtful service of early check-in. Although I couldn't enter the room immediately due to the cleaning not being completed, the female staff at the front desk was very attentive and personally led the three of us to the executive lounge for a short rest. For this stay, I used a suite upgrade voucher to get a city view suite, and the other room was a sea view room. The layout of the suite was extremely reasonable, dividing the leisure office and sleeping areas, and it had two bathrooms. Clever partitions separated different functional areas, and even the bathroom in the bedroom was quite spacious. Everything in the room, from the facilities to the environment, was nearly perfect, making me very satisfied. The rooftop bar of the hotel is definitely a highlight. Here, you can take in the magnificent views of the Bosphorus Strait and the Eurasian shores, which undoubtedly adds great value to the hotel. Moreover, the snacks provided by the bar were quite delicious, bringing a pleasant taste experience. However, during my stay, an unfortunate incident occurred. When I took out my DSLR camera to capture the charming scenery outside the hotel, I was stopped by the bar manager, who said that my camera was considered professional equipment. In all my extensive travel experiences around the world, this was the first time I encountered such a situation. Photography is one of the most important purposes of my travels. Afterwards, I complained to the hotel about this matter and eventually received compensation of 10,000 points. But even so, I still find it hard to let go. After all, traveling to Turkey is not easy, and I am not even sure if I will have the chance to set foot in Istanbul again in my lifetime. Whether I can use a DSLR camera to capture the cityscape in the rooftop bar will be a key factor in my choice of this hotel in the future. As of now, I have not received an official response from the hotel regarding this issue. Can I use a DSLR camera in the rooftop bar or not? If the answer is no, then I am afraid I will not consider staying at the InterContinental Istanbul again in the future.