We had a good stay at the Senatus hotel, very close (5-7 min walk) to the main historic sites like Haga Sophia, Blue Mosque, and the Topkapi palace. We felt welcomed and the staff were friendly and suggested tours to us when we asked.
The breakfast varied a bit each day and was good. We had the deluxe room with balcony and enjoyed the view, with a small view of the haga Sophia over the side. The one downside of the room was that it smelled a bit funny and we aired it out at the end of the day, but I think it was because of the pipes and likely something not easily fixed.
A few things to note: it was a bit loud at night with the bars and restaurants, so we were happy we had a sound machine. There is also a lot of hassling that the nearby restaurants do as you walk by, but luckily not the hotel restaurant.
It is about a 20-25 min walk from the ferry and the Galata bridge, and if I had to go again I’d do a hotel a little more in between the main sites and the Galata bridge area. It is an uphill walk to the main areas and coming back from Galata area, so may be challenging for those with accessibility needs.
I’d give this hotel an overall good rating, and I appreciate staying at smaller places that aren’t chains to support local. Its no frills and won’t suit fancier travelers, but for us semi-budget travelers it worked well.