Art City Apartments & Hotel

I was very disappointed by the front desk staff and still can't believe what happened. I was staying for 6 nights, and on the first day we asked them to pack breakfast for the next morning because we had to leave early for Samarkand. The staff member was talking with his girlfriend, I think. When we tried to get his attention, he looked at us like, “What do you want?” then said okay. The next morning he said he didn't know about it. There was more to it, but I'll keep it short. Another time, a friend sent something to me by taxi. I went to the lobby to ask if it had arrived. They said no, and when I asked them to call the other building to check, one staff member said he had sent a message, but I couldn't see anything happening. Three male staff were checking their phones and watching YouTube. I had to ask again for them to call. He then said it was in a different building. It was raining heavily, so I asked to borrow an umbrella. They said they had none left, though I had just seen another staff member bring one inside. As a woman who doesn't speak Uzbek, I was already upset that they weren't willing to help or try to solve the problem. They didn't even help me get the delivery when it arrived outside. I had no umbrella, and only then did they tell me, “Mam, he is here.” I still thanked them, then told them they shouldn't treat women that way, especially when we need help. They ignored me. They were checking their phones while working and didn't put clients first. If they don't value women at home, that doesn't mean they can treat women outside that way.

The room was okay, but the studio had none of the useful basics like dish soap, a sponge, or a clothes drying rack. It's not close to the metro, and Yandex is expensive from here. I had planned to write something more positive until the negative reviews turned out to describe exactly what happened to us. This place is scamming people. At check-in they said the card machine wasn't working, which I hear often in Uzbekistan. They promised it would be fixed the next day, so I said I'd wait to pay. Then they said a card payment would cost 3% extra because of the bank charge. I reminded them we had agreed on a rate through booking and asked if that rate was no longer valid. The receptionist simply said yes. They also take cash, but the exchange rate they used was almost exactly 3% above the banks, so it still cost more than the agreed booking rate. Cash also leaves no trace of the money, giving them a chance to avoid reporting the stay and paying tourist tax. Given the other problems, I suspect that's what they're trying to do with all guests. Before we finished checking in, they offered us 100,000 som, about 8 dollars, if we cancelled our Booking.com reservation. My wife asked why, and the receptionist plainly said it was so they wouldn't have to pay Booking a commission. I said we absolutely wouldn't do that, since we needed the confirmation in case they also refused to give us registration, which seemed likely given these other practices. As we walked away, all four receptionists giggled together and mentioned the commission. At 3 am on the last day of the booking, they changed my booking to next year so I couldn't leave a negative review. Luckily I knew this might happen and downloaded the confirmation in advance. At checkout, I asked about the change. The receptionist said he didn't know and had nothing to do with it. When I pointed out that someone else had said this would happen, and it had, he giggled and repeated that he didn't know. I also asked for the registration required by law for tourists staying at a hotel. They gave me one that listed only the check-in time as the checkout time. That would let them avoid paying tourist taxes to the government, even though we had paid them, and puts guests at risk of fines when leaving the country. The fine for not having registration can be between $1000-$12000 USD. We told them several times we were leaving through a land border, where checks are stricter than at the airport. I said that if they couldn't provide proper registration, we needed a refund of the tourist taxes and would have to call the police. I also took his picture so we could identify him to them. He repeatedly said the system wouldn't let him register us, even though this same hotel had already given me registration for part of our stay. So clearly it wasn't the system. Eventually he called his manager, who came down and produced the correct registration in two minutes. Once the manager was awake, I asked him about changing our reservation dates. He giggled and said he didn't know either, then offered to call a taxi, which I declined. These guys are scammers, trying to save a little money at the customers' risk. I've never encountered scams this blatant, especially over just a few dollars. No wonder people show up with reservations and find no room, they have manipulated so many dates they probably can't keep track of them all. Totally avoid.

The receptionist was polite and helped me cancel the booking, but the hotel's handling of it was a big letdown. I had booked a dormitory bed for one night through booking.com, and the reservation was confirmed. When I arrived, I was told they couldn't check me in because of a problem with the dormitory room. I think it was very unprofessional not to tell customers in advance or delist that room type if it wasn't available. I chose the hostel based on the positive ratings, but personally had a very bad experience.

Everything in this hotel feels new, since it seems to have opened only three or four months ago. The style is modern, and the room is set up like an apartment, with a washer, fridge, and stove. Sunnat and Hassan at the front desk were especially professional and respectful, and went out of their way to handle our requests.