9 questions to Cem & Sema
1. Why do you rent out your place?
To maximise the use of our spare flat.
2. Why 9flats?
Because of the customer-focused service and because we get lots of bookings.
3. How do you get to know your guest before they arrive?
We meet them in front of the big shopping mall nearby and, if they have time, go for a coffee and talk about their trip. Then we take them to the apartment.
4. What do you offer your guests as a treat?
We always highlight the places they want to visit and also warn them about how they should use bargaining power with Turkish vendors if they want to buy souvenirs.
5. What do you enjoy about being a host?
Creating good relationships with guests from all over the world is something really unique for us and we really enjoy it. We’ve already established further friendships with some of our guests. They also want to host us if we visit their hometown. And most of them want to come back to beautiful Istanbul.
6. What's your best/funniest hosting story?
We are happy with all our guests and had nice experiences, but once we had a German family who left the apartment spotlessly clean (even better than they found it) with a bouquet of flowers on the table for us saying “Vielen Dank”. What more could you want? You earn money and get flowers :)
7. What’s your best insider travel tip in your area?
We think if you go to Istanbul, you need to taste real Turkish cuisine that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. We have a full list of restaurants for this and claim that it won’t be anything like the Turkish food you might taste in your hometown.
8. What’s your most memorable travel experience?
Three years ago, we did a family road trip to seven countries in a row. That was a memorable trip. We’d love to do it again some day, but this time we’ll use 9flats so we’ll get a lot of insider tips that we missed last time.
9. What's your personal travel philosophy?
Cem: Taste as many different foods as I can. :)
Sema: Be in as many places as I can.
