City Palace Hotel

The outdoor pool was one of the main reasons I booked, given the heat, but the area looked like a construction site, with sections closed off and loungers and seats scattered around. There's no poolside bar. I saw someone walking past and asked about getting a beer; they sent me to the restaurant to order it myself, and I couldn't charge it to my room. I had a smooth airport pickup, and despite arriving very early, I was allowed into the room for a fee. After that, though, the stay was a letdown. My twin room was on the 14th floor and had a nice city view, even though I'd booked a double. The traditional luxury decor is looking dated, and several fixtures, including lamps, were crooked. The shower over the bath wasn't great, there was quite a bit of mold around the tub, and the towels were poor quality. There was little information about hotel services in the room, part of the room-service menu seemed to be missing, and although there were two bottles of water and a kettle, the minibar was empty. One evening I asked reception to stock the minibar, but was told to buy drinks at the lobby bar myself. They didn't serve beer or wine there, only spirits. I also tried the restaurant another night, but after waiting around without finding any staff, I gave up. For a place claiming five-star service, there was very little to impress me. It may have been great years ago, but it needs some updating. There's potential, but I'd stay somewhere else next time.

We booked at the last minute and paid $151 including breakfast, which felt like good value. Our twin room on the 10th floor was very clean and in good shape, with a nice bathroom. The elevators were slow, but we managed. Breakfast was busy and average at best, and the chairs and tables were awkward to eat at. I'd consider coming back for the value.

Their claim to five stars feels like a scam when the service is close to zero. The front desk was rude, disorganized and unprofessional, and couldn't even get room assignments right for our group, leaving us with long delays and needless stress. There was no warmth or effort to make us feel welcome. Tashkent has plenty of better hotels that know how to treat guests. Stay somewhere else.

The location is the main thing this hotel has going for it. Depending on your budget, I'd suggest the Wyndham across the street or the Hyatt next door. Unless you want a nightmare of a stay, I'd pass. The only person who showed any understanding was the Front Office Manager, who at least apologized for the night staff's rudeness when they refused to give me water. I work in hospitality and almost never give a hotel one star, but this place left me stunned. The hotel feels run down, the staff and managers don't seem to care, and I got food poisoning after ordering through IRD. My room door lock had problems and nobody helped; the toilet flush also sometimes failed. A colleague was stuck in the lobby for over an hour when his sixth-floor room door wouldn't open and maintenance couldn't fix it. At 4 am, Front Office refused me a bottle of water after the two 500 ml bottles in my room were gone, saying I couldn't get more until 10:30 am. The barman was usually absent, and the restaurant IRD staff would answer the phone and then put the receiver aside. Housekeeping were the one bright spot: courteous, smiling, and on time. The elevators were a mess. One had no lights and moved slowly, two others didn't work, and the fourth was noisy and slower than a snail. There were always at least 10-15 people waiting in the lobby. Their room-service app did nothing. I ordered, waited over two hours and called in-room dining at least seven times, then went down from the 11th floor in that awful elevator, only to learn they had never received the order. The fries and apple strudel pie I eventually ordered gave me severe stomach pain and immediate diarrhea, so the food quality is a big question mark. Over the five days I was there, I never saw the breakfast buffet fully replenished, and when staff did refill it, they had a lot of attitude. Tables weren't clean or attended to. The banquet hall was okay, and the finger food was average. The hotel could do with a complete change of team. If you want to experience hospitality, come visit us in Goa!