Golden Dragon Hotel — Attraction in Bishkek City

I am struggling to understand how anyone has rated this hotel more than 2/5. It looks nothing like what the pictures show. I feel like I just walked into a prison from the 90’s that went out of business and got converted into an excuse of a hotel. I have stayed at hostels around the world run by teenagers that cost $15-$20 a night that were better than this place. The staff is a bunch of unmotivated 20-year-olds that clearly have not been trained by management about the definition and application of hospitality. Front desk has zero knowledge about nearby points of interest or restaurants etc within the vicinity of the hotel, and make zero effort to help out. The rooms look nothing like the photos. They are very dated, bed springs have been worn out, shower drainage doesn’t drain the water, room phones don’t work. There are two buildings in the property, so if you have a room in the second building, you have to walk through an emergency exit in the back door of the main hotel lobby, which is a very narrow corridor that has signs saying “staff only”. It’s clearly just a make-shift path to the other building. I felt like was sneaking out of my college dorm room emergency staircase. Housekeeping will walk into your room while you’re inside, and when they realize you’re still in there, they’ll just walk out. No apologies or anything, they just pretended like nothing happened and walked back out 😂. Again, lack of training by management. The property looks like it’s last maintenance was done in 1991. Broken floor tiles, unsafe stairs, doors that don’t close properly, a piano in the lobby that’s so out-of-tune that not even Beethoven could save it. When I tried dabbling with the piano to revive my piano skills, I was told that it’s just for “decoration”, so I’m not allowed to play it. Pretty expensive “decoration” if you ask me. The breakfast… may Allah never show you hotel breakfast like that, aameen. Limited options, hot items were cold, bread was so stale it felt like it’s been there since the hotel first opened, astaghfirullah. Location isn’t great, but at least there’s a convenience store across the street and a couple of half-decent restaurants nearby. But it’s not very close to the main center or the city parks.

In summary, the hotel claims to be 5-star… it’s nowhere near the standard or quality of 5-star hotels. The ratings online by other guests deceived me. If I knew what to expect, I wouldn’t be this disappointed. For the same price, you can definitely get better hotels. Don’t believe any review that is more than 2/5 or maximum 3/5.

Recommendation: avoid unless you’re desperate. It’s not the absolute worst option in the world, but...

My family and I were treated to a stay in a Deluxe Suite at the Golden Dragon on a recent trip in Bishkek. Our stay was very comfortable and pleasant. Upon arrive, we were escorted into the hotel by a concierge. Immediately you could tell that the hotel was very safe, as the hotel grounds are gated and there was security by the entrance. The concierge who met us at the taxi drop-off area was polite and took our things inside to the registration desk for us. Complete five-star service from the staff, who spoke great English and were very friendly and helpful with our kids (a willy five-year-old and adventurous three-year-old).

The premises are very nice, exceeding what we expected and what we've seen elsewhere in the city. The room was very comfortable and SO BIG. The suite had a master bedroom, with a child's bed they'd brought in for the three-year-old, a living space with a massive sectional couch (where the five-year-old slept) and a big screen TV, a kitchenette (although it was more of an actual kitchen, complete with cooking wares) and minibar, and dining space with another massive TV. Not to mention two bathrooms and waiting room. I mean, this place was bigger than our flat back home. Not only was there ample space, but it was comfortable and nicely decorated in, if dated, an art deco style.

We had a great night's sleep. In the morning, we loved watching the sunrise light up the mountains from the balcony.

We visited the Sauna in the morning and it is massive and very nice. I only wish there had been some oils for the sauna. But that is a small thing.

The breakfast was great and had a lot of options. Some of them obviously catered to the hotel's Chinese clientele. This was fine with us, as we love Chinese food. But they also had the usual fare you'll see at a breakfast buffet. We unfortunately did not eat at the neighboring restaurant, so we can't speak to that. But taxi drivers all know the hotel and the front desk can help you call a taxi if you haven't installed Yandex or Namba on your phone.

I would definitely recommend to anyone interested staying in Bishkek in luxury. Perhaps the most comfortable way to...

Very friendly reception staff, with good knowledge of English, which made our arrival a pleasant experience. During our stay the staff was helpful, made several taxi reservations, printed out some necessary docs for the return flight, and overall was very accommodating to any questions/requests.||||The hotel offered a free airport shuttle (which were waiting with a clear sign), as well as free breakfast and buffet dinner, both with a reasonable choice of food.||||Room was seriously big, as well as the TV, and was kept clean on a daily basis.||||Throughout the hotel there were hand-cleaning stations, and staff were wearing face-masks, and social distancing was kept. All were good to see, as Covid is serious in Kyrgyzstan, but in general not taken seriously by people on the streets.||||Thanks Golden Dragon staff, for...