Grand Tien Shan

We spent two days here and didn’t have any problems. The hotel is on a main road, but we heard no traffic or other bothersome noise. Our standard single room was fine, though I think its furniture may need renovation soon. The staff were diligent and helpful, especially the reception and customer relations teams. Denis deserves a special thank you: when we asked about addresses near the places we planned to visit, he came outside and carefully guided us, with recommendations too. The other staff were very polite as well. We could walk to many places from the hotel, so we didn’t need taxis. There’s a beautiful park across the street, and a pleasant wine house just to the right as you leave. The pool looked bigger in person than in the photos and was quite nice. On weekdays, we happened upon a lovely piano performance in the lobby and sat to listen. Breakfast could have had a bit more variety. We didn’t eat any other meals at the hotel, so I can’t comment on the restaurant or food. We could easily stay here again if we return to Almaty.

I travelled from the UK and stayed six nights in March. The new modern rooms on the first floor were spacious and impressive, with huge beds and double sinks. They were spotless and cleaned thoroughly. The location and breakfast were decent, and I liked the big bath. The room itself was really nice, and without that newly refurbished room I’d give the hotel two stars and probably stay somewhere else next time. The start of the stay was poor: the airport transfer never arrived, and I waited over 30 minutes in the arrivals terminal. At the hotel they said the driver had been waiting, but he wasn’t there. I asked everyone waiting at arrivals. The apology felt half-hearted, and staff implied I hadn’t looked hard enough. I couldn’t use the AC to cool the room. When I asked reception, they suggested opening a window, but I was on the first floor and didn’t feel comfortable doing that. Our keycards also failed several times, leaving us going back and forth between the room and reception. The spa pools weren’t hot enough to enjoy. A private taxi to the airport takes around 24 minutes and costs 3000 tenge.

The pool and spa were nice, the rooms spacious, and the location great. But the place felt like faded glory, and was a huge disappointment otherwise. My room smelled a little strange, and the mattress was uncomfortably soft. Several bathroom items were partly broken: the shaving mirror, showerhead holder, and hairdryer. Housekeeping also didn’t replace the spare toilet paper roll. When I asked the front desk for two extra towels because the showerhead holder was defective, they said I’d have to pay for them. That’s absurd for a hotel calling itself luxury. Staff were unfriendly. Breakfast was decent, but much the same each day, and the hot food was rarely hot. There are so many new hotels nearby that unless this one renovates and improves its service, sadly, I don’t think it will stay in business much longer.

I went for an event and found the hotel cozy, with an old-fashioned style that felt especially nice against the cold winter weather. The staff were friendly and helpful.