Royal Grand

We came for lunch and ordered salad, chicken soup, and Tom Yum. Everything was terribly salty and not worth the money. The waitress brought plates with food streaks on them, then disappeared after leaving empty tea cups. The tea never arrived.

The hotel worked for one night, but I wouldn't recommend a longer stay. We were in a 2 Single Beds, Suite for two weeks. Most staff were friendly, the interior was fresh, the rooms spacious, and the panoramic windows were nice. The beds, mattresses, and pillows were comfortable. Access to the SPA zone, with sauna and pool, was included in the room price. A lot went wrong during the longer visit. The included breakfast was awful, with poor-quality food and no fresh cheese, ham, or scrambled eggs. The sink was so small it was uncomfortable to use. In the second week, cleaners stopped replenishing water, vacuuming, and changing sheets, and our room wasn't cleaned on the last day. Workers spent about two weeks replacing pedestrian tiles under our window by the entrance, making noise and mess. The pool was out of service for about four days, and the WiFi was terrible. There was no laundry price list or bags in the room, and the minibar was empty. The hotel was too far from the city center, so we had to take a taxi daily to cafes and shops. One receptionist kicked me out of the open meeting room after 8 p.m. when I went in alone. She said guests couldn't use it without booking, but no one had explained that, and the room was always open. The worst incident was with a hotel co-founder, who yelled at me and insulted me while I was alone on the third floor, seated on a sofa with my legs on the coffee table during a work Zoom meeting. The hotel administrator apologized. We extended the booking by a day. The administrator quoted 36k tenge, but at checkout they tried to charge 45k. After we argued, the administrator charged 36k and said it was a discount.

I booked a massage at the spa, but had to wait an hour for the masseuse to show up. And can you believe a Ramada without card machines? They sent us to an ATM to withdraw cash while we were wearing bathrobes. Really disappointing spa service.

The big flashing TV in front of the hotel makes it hard to sleep well.