Bad smell in apartment or hotel room in Turkey — sewage or chemical odor: what to do?
From messages by 3 participants in 2 sources · Last activity: 77 days ago
One resident ruled out pool chlorine and parking as the source: the smell is present on both sides of the building (pool side and opposite side), strongest on the ground floor and in the basement of the entrance, occurring almost every morning for about a month. This points to an issue within the building's own system (sewage riser/basement) rather than the pool alone.
In a hotel (main building, lobby floor, balcony facing the water slides), a sewage smell appeared periodically in the room; keeping the bathroom door closed noticeably reduced it. This side of the hotel is also very noisy due to proximity to the slides.
Keep bathroom door closed
A recent review shows that requesting a room above the ground floor doesn't always prevent the issue: at another hotel, a strong sewage smell was reported even in a room on the 3rd floor.
3rd floor — no guarantee either
A sharp smell appearing around 4:30–5:00 AM in an Antalya apartment building can have several causes: a faulty septic system (even after cleaning), pool chlorination, or garbage trucks in the courtyard. Building management is obligated to respond to complaints, even if not immediately. 'Other residents don't notice' is not a valid reason to stop investigating.
Antalya apartment building
If building management is unresponsive, you can hire a private diagnostic engineer. Look for specialists through local construction companies or Turkish classifieds platforms like sahibinden.com. An engineer can inspect ventilation shafts, sewage risers, and pool systems to identify the odor source.
sahibinden.com — find local specialists
Ask building management what chlorination system the pool uses. With any properly functioning system, chlorine gas should not be released into the air. If your apartment faces the pool, this could be the source of chemical odors — especially in early morning hours when maintenance is typically done.
Sewage smells on hotel ground floors are a known issue mentioned in reviews across Turkey. Before booking, filter reviews specifically by room floor. At check-in, you can request a room above the ground floor, citing this known problem.