VIVA Hotel

The room was warm, the bed somewhat comfortable, and it was the cheapest place I found. But it wasn’t very clean, there was hair in the room, and the bathroom smelled a little off. The neighborhood is dumpy, though it’s about a 15-minute walk toward the city center. The walls are thin, so you hear conversations and people stomping along the corridor. I might have rated it three stars for the price, but the staff experience brought it down to two. I stayed two nights. At check-in, they tried to charge me $90 instead of $52. The other two male workers I met weren’t very nice either. The worst part was the older woman working there. At 7am, after my flight, I wanted to sit for a while and charge my phone before my tour pickup. I hadn’t asked to check in early. I tried to explain, and even left my phone and belongings where she could see them, but she chased me into the building, shouting down the corridor and stopping me from using the toilet before check-in. She shooed me outside like a dog. People were sleeping, and I had to tell her to keep her voice down. Other reviews mention her too. She was like the building scarecrow. I was lucky not to see her again, because seeing her again would have ruined my day.

The room was clean, comfortable, and nice, and the price and location were good. The cleaner was very polite, much more welcoming than the receptionist. I planned six nights but wisely booked just two to try it first. I chose this hotel through Agoda because it listed noon check-in and 2pm check-out. On arrival, an unwelcoming receptionist said their actual times were 2pm check-in and noon check-out, so I and other guests had to wait. Yet someone else arrived around 1:40pm and was let in early, which felt inconsistent and frustrating. I’d also booked a mountain view, but my window faced a brick wall. They said I had a mountain view because there was a picture frame above my head showing mountains. Keep that in mind when booking, since the online details are misleading. The service and communication need work.

The room was okay for the price, and the location was okay too, near Osh Bazaar, though the street itself wasn’t great. We had no hot water. Reception first wasn’t helpful and asked what they could do about it, then agreed to fix it but couldn’t.

The breakfast was tasty and changed from day to day. It’s very close to Osh Bazaar. The one thing to know is the Wi-Fi wasn’t very smooth in the room.