Shah Palace Hotel — Hotel in Baku City

Visited Baku last week. Stayed at Shah Palace for 6 nights. Here is my detailed review. spread

The check in was good and quick. Rooms were neat and tidy. Location of the Hotel is excellent. Just a few hundred meters from Nizami Street and inside Old Town which has its own charm.

Later during the stay we faced some problems. Bathroom smelled bad and we requested to change the room which was done. There was continuous work going on the 4th floor which was irritating.

Breakfast is the worst I have seen till date. The vegetarian spread (Salads in particular) was same every day. There used to be one veg dish like boiled vegies, baked beans, Boiled vegies in tomato puree and potato wedges are the ones I remember. Out of this owe could eat only potato wedges. We had to mainly rely on salads and bread butter / cheese. the restaurant staff could not communicate in English. We could not get hot milk on most of the days. They would give us warm milk when asked for 'hot milk' we came to a conclusion that they do not understand what is hot milk so asked for boiling milk but was of no use. They would promptly bring omelets for others but when we request for toasts, they never arrived in 3 out of the 6 days. on many days they took 30 mins to get 4-5 toasts. I dont understand why cant they keep a toaster on the breakfast table.

We asked for extra water bottles on one day and confirmed that there is no change for it. The next day when we asked for a couple of bottles the person at the reception told that it would be charged. They kept 2 half liters of bottle in the room of triple occupancy. Then we had to refill the bottles from the water which was kept for the staff, which was fine... but you cant have different people giving different answers...also he said he dont know how much the water will be charged and I will come to know only at check out.

Most of the staff do not know how to smile. The lady at the reception, Ms. Gunay was an exception though and was cooperative enough. But overall hospitality was pathetic if compared to any basic hotel in India.

Go there for the location, but be ready for some expressionless faces, poor service and do not expect much in the breakfast.

Giving 2 stars...one for the location and one...

Our experience at Shah Palace Hotel was incredibly disappointing. We booked a family suite for 4 nights and checked-in as scheduled.

The suite allotted to us, room #305, was marred by a nauseating stench of septic gases emanating from its bathroom, compounded by a distressing fungal infestation in the shower area. Despite our immediate report to the receptionist, who acknowledged the problem and promised a resolution, no action was taken. With no other room available at this late hour, we reluctantly endured the night in the same room, relying on open windows to mitigate the foul odor.

The next morning, as we followed up, we were shown a different room, which unfortunately exhibited the same problems. Furthermore, we noticed, the entire property suffered from poor ventilation, exacerbating the issue of trapped septic gases. The overall state of the hotel was appalling, with worn-out carpets & drapes, old furniture and overall poor hygiene, contributing to a pervasive stale odor and a feeling of suffocation.

Despite presenting the photos of fungus as evidence and expressing our dissatisfaction, the manager arrogantly refused to acknowledge the issues.

Forced to check-out after only one night, we sought refund for unused nights. To our dismay, the manager not only dismissed our concerns but also imposed a penalty for early check out equivalent to one night’s room rent; thus, consequently, despite spending just a single night (and that too in utter discomfort), we were unfairly charged for two nights' stay, resembling a scam, highly unexpected from a hotel listed on a reputable site like Agoda.

Anyways, we relocated to another hotel, also booked through Agoda, and lodged a complaint to Agoda.

Upon investigation, Agoda acknowledged that we were entitled to be charged for only one night, and any excess amount should have been refunded to us. However, despite this acknowledgment, the hotel adamantly refused to issue a refund for the overcharged amount.

We urge Agoda to facilitate our refund, as we have no other forum for seeking remedy for the unfair amount charged to us by the Shah...

Important Feedback for Potential New Customers

We stayed at the hotel from Tuesday, April 22nd to Sunday, April 27th, 2025. We arrived as a couple who always support the hotel we book by trying all its facilities. We decided to try the hotel's restaurant. Upon arrival, we were directed to a table. After about 10 minutes, we wondered why we hadn't received a menu, while the neighboring table had one. We found a menu ourselves, and another 10 minutes later, the staff came to take our order. We ordered two menus, one for each of us. One of us received both dishes, but as the other was finishing their meal, nearly 50 minutes after we arrived, the staff informed us that the second menu would take longer because they lacked the ingredients. It is unacceptable that we were not informed of this from the start, so we could have chosen another place to eat or ordered something else. We were told the food would arrive within 5 minutes, but after another 15 minutes, we asked for the bill and left without receiving the food.

The next day, we wanted to sleep undisturbed, but there was no "Do Not Disturb" sign in the room. We locked the door from the inside, but were still awakened by the cleaning staff, who mysteriously could open the door. We asked for a sign, but even after 24 hours and two reminders, we did not receive it.

Regarding the hotel's safety, one should think carefully before booking. There were various items in the hallways, such as vacuum cleaners, loose wires, irons, several ironing boards, racks with sheets, pillows, and soap. All of this was in the hallways, which are also escape routes in case of fire. Worse, there were barriers telling guests not to walk in certain areas, which makes no sense when these are escape routes. I truly fear the worst if a fire breaks out at the hotel. I confronted the hotel manager with these issues, and he acknowledged that it was illegal.

Final comment: The hotel is called Luxury Museum Hotel, but I must admit, I did not find much luxury here. However, I acknowledge that it is a historically...