DoubleTree by Hilton Almaty — Hotel in Almaty

We were 12 people - 4 couples and 4 kids and had requested for all 6 rooms to be on the same floor / close to each other at the time of booking 45 days in advance. When we checked in at 8 pm, to our surprise, rooms were scattered on the 5th & 10th floor.

They give you one access card per room which gives you access to your floor only. So you cannot visit friends staying on the 5th floor and they cannot visit you on the 10th floor. Can just meet at the lobby and then accompany them to their floor / room.

Checked in at 8 pm and Key cards for all rooms stopped working immediately after first use. We all got them changed at reception and the changed card did not even work in the elevator. It was sooo frustrating…got key cards changed again…(and no, most of us did not keep our cards alongwith our mobiles and other credit & debit cards)…

Icing on the cake (1) - All of us had to carry our own luggage to our rooms as we were told that the bell boys had left for the day - noticed the next 2-3 days, other guests checking in & out. All were carrying their own luggage. So this hotel does not have any bell boys.

Icing on the cake (2) - There are just two 500 ml bottles of water kept in the room, when at 7:50 am the next day I called up room service to ask for drinking water bottles, we were told (a) room service staff will come after an hour and we will get water bottles then. (b) When we insisted that drinking water is finished and we want in immediately, we were told that if we take now, we shall not get later.

We chose the second option and were thankfully sent this part of our “ration” in 10 mins…The very same day we started purchasing our own crates of drinking water

A friend on the first night asked for drinking water at 11 pm at night, he was told that it will be available the next morning.

One of the rooms we had taken did not have the mini fridge, on complaining about it we were told, it has gone for repairs

Water in bathrooms stops around 11 am - faced this problem twice, thankfully once while washing face & next while in the loo - all complaints fall on deaf ears - had to use our “rationed” bottle water. Afraid of taking a bath, what if the water runs out with shampoo in the hair…so be wary of using washrooms after 11 am

On asking for tea to be served at 10 pm through room service, we were told that it’s not available.

On asking for tea bags, we were sent just two, on asking for more, we were told they will be available the next day (ration is 2 per day)

All staff throughout the hotel, understand and speak English at their convenience. When they have to communicate something to you - they know English. When you have to say something, they don’t understand English and the person who spoke with you earlier is nowhere around

Icing on the cake (3): Forms (pic attached) have to be filled up to order eggs at breakfast. I filled up the form first thing when I sat for breakfast one morning and mentioned Table 1. Thirty mins hence when I had had my fill, the omlette still had not come. When I started looking around for the lady I had placed an order with, another one came around slyly, picked up the placard mentioning “Table 1” and replaced it with another mentioning “Table 2” - and obviously she did not understand English. Hilarious…

The hand sanitizers next to their lifts is always empty and so are the soap, shampoo and hair conditioner dispensers in the bathrooms (they cannot help as they do not understand English or are just pain lazy and do not care)

The Hotel infrastructure is very good and so is the location, but sadly ALL human efforts that go in from the staff and hotel personnel, the rules they have made, the unresponsiveness, rude and devil may care attitude has made this property absolutely pathetic. Absolutely third class.

All hotel staff is pathetic, arrogant to the core, rude, ill spoken. Wonder how it is categorised as a 5 star hotel. It’s at...

As usual, another opportunity presented itself at my doorstep to accompany a group to the picturesque city of Almaty. We stayed at the esteemed Double Tree by Hilton. The property was of immense and remarkable quality.

The sole drawback is that if you are travelling from the airport to the hotel via a 45-seater coach, you will have to tag your luggage a considerable distance. However, those fortunate individuals who utilize a taxi or smaller vehicle will find it effortless as you will be dropped directly at the hotel entrance. The fault does not lie with the hotels, but rather with the narrower road conditions leading to the hotel.

The property boasts a stellar staff throughout, which makes it difficult to find fault or have any reason for complaint.

There are sufficient elevators to transport you to your room. When there are two bus loads of guests, then there is a brief wait. This is understandable and manageable.

The rooms are well-lit, spacious, comfortable, and elegant without being ostentatious. The bathroom is well-equipped with basic amenities, including adequate towels. Similarly, the rooms are equipped with customary cutlery, tea, and coffee sachets, which are readily available and are replenished daily.

The breakfast is located on the second floor, and the only drawback was that it seemed somewhat limited due to the two groups eating at the same time. Despite the presence of another Indian group, we were accommodated there at the same time. I must commend the excellent management by the staff in managing the crowd.

The spread was not substantial, and Indian groups would undoubtedly find it not suitable to their preferences. There was more for the meat eaters than for those who prefer vegetarian alternatives. I am not implying that what was served was necessarily inferior, as I belonged to the former category and had no issues with the taste.

There was another dining option, which I presume is for lunch and dinner on the eighth floor, which was exceptionally spacious with a bar and dining options. Additionally, it had a balcony where one could enjoy the cool weather and the night view of Almaty, which was quite spectacular.

The service was efficient, and the staff was courteous and cordial. The layout was meticulously planned, the seating was comfortable, and the decor was remarkable.

Overall, our experience here was quite pleasant, and the level of warmth from the staff towards our guests was exceptionally high. I would highly recommend this property and would be delighted to return, not just due to its aesthetic appeal but also due to the level of hospitality and courtesy offered by the staff at Double Tree by Hilton

Warm...

I monitored this hotel for the last week and thought I could make a last minute booking, however even 12 hours before the check in the price didn't change neither on Bookingcom nor or the hotel's own website. Hotel's location is good, it center and not on the main street that keeps room very quite. Due to NewYear eve the security didn't think we were guests, so they kept chatting with each other until I asked where reception for check-in was. The room is big enough, the mattress and pillows are very comfortable, all stuff they have purchased is very convenient and good quality. However you can not buy human attitude to the job duties, after I saw this so called clean plate (photo) which is in fact dirty, I was a bit upset, but unfortunately I guess that's a common issue for ex Soviet countries. The view from the 5th floor at 08:00am, is not bad. They don't have exchange office, neither they accept foreign currency, local tenge only, that's also fine, but reception at least must know where guests can exchange money at any time of the day, or know the working hours of the nearby exchange offices. However all that was nothing in compare with what happened the next morning. When I went to breakfast and filled my plate they told me that the breakfast wasn’t included in the room rate. We agreed that I would have breakfast and then discuss the issue. I went to reception and the guy said that the breakfast can be either included or not included, to my question what is “Honors sale brkfst” he said nothing (photo). I really got angry and went to online to check the room rates and breakfast options. In the meantime the reception guy was arrogantly smiling seeing me hassling with the phone. To my luck, another reception guy or manager came. I showed him the Hilton’s website breakfast options and he finally agreed. The...