City of Countless Names- Pera p5

The Hotel d’Angleterre

South of Embassies, on the corner of the Rue Coumbaraji and the Grand Rue De Pera, well connected and well-heeled English travelers live and dine at the finest hotel in Constantinople, the Hotel d’Angleterre. The hotel is a simple three-story wooden building with windows in every guestroom. A multitude of chimneys pop out of the tiles on the roof.

Before the war in Crimea, only a handful of sightseers, clergy, and diplomats sat around the hotel’s dinner table each evening. Political tensions pulled Constantinople to prominence, bringing a constant crowd of newcomers to the city needing a clean room, a warm bed, and a hot meal. Each night, the dining room of the Hotel d’Angleterre, built to accommodate twenty guests, witnesses a gathering of military officers, engineers, consuls, inventors, and journalists that often exceeds forty. It is as hard to get a room as it is a seat at the table! Rooms with a view of the Bosporus are yet harder to obtain.

The proprietor, James Misseri presides over the chaos with strict rules and a curfew at 11. His years traveling as the manservant of the famous Alexander Kinglake provided Misseri the authority and the depth of knowledge needed to operate such an excellent hotel in such an unusual city. His wife is an Englishwoman and an excellent hostess, giving her English guest a taste of home and a sympathetic ear.

For those fortunate enough to procure a room, the cost is 12s 6d (roughly 63 piastres) a day for a private room and meals. Guests also have access to a variety of English papers and periodicals. The hotel employs trustworthy guides, interpreters, and servants to help sightseers for a reasonable fee.

When the Hotel d’Angleterre cannot possibly accommodate more guests, Misseri directs disappointed travelers to the nearby Hotel des Ambassadeurs, the Hotel de Byzanee, and the Hotel d’Europe.

The Hotel d’Europe

Located halfway between the docks in Tophane where newcomers disembark from their ships and the heart of Pera, the Hotel d’Europe offers comfortable lodging at a less expansive rate than the hotels on the Grand Rue de Pera. The rooms are large and well furnished, but the surrounding neighborhood can be irksomely noisy despite the hotel’s well-insulated stone walls. Private rooms cost 10s a day, including a breakfast with coffee and a dinner with wine, although customers with a tight budget could haggle the price down in exchange for a less prestigious room. The Hotel d’Europe subscribes to many European newspapers for its guests to read.

An Italian named Giovanni Destuniano manages the hotel. He previously worked at the Hotel d’Angleterre as a valet for hire, before leaving for the Hotel d’Europe. No ill will exists between Mr. Misseri and Mr. Destuniano because of their gentlemanly conduct and the very different clientele accommodated by their hotels.  The Hotel d’Europe is very popular with bachelors for its less expensive rooms, less structured schedules for meals and curfew, and location nearer the entertainments of Galata.