Hotels near Almatinskaya Yeparkhial'naya Dukhovnaya Seminariya, Almaty

On a holiday in Kazakhstan for 15 days, my wife and I stayed at this hotel on 3 different occasions and have returned with mixed reactions - 1) 2 Nights on the first leg of our trip - Though the hotel and room looked a little rundown requiring refurbishment, it was a comfortable stay and service though, very stiff and formal, was acceptable. Breakfast - Very good; Communication - Poor due to most staff members being unable to communicate in English. 2) 1 Night on the second leg - Room very good. Service - Stiff but again acceptable. Breakfast again very good and communication poor. BUT the worst part was that the integrity of house keeping and reception staff was suspicious. While checking out after our first stay, my wife had left behind a set of clothes in the wardrobe. This came to realization, after reaching our next destination and I immediately called up the hotel and informed them. The lady assured that she would check and ring back, which she never did. When we checked-in around 5 days later, I was told that house-keeping had reported that nothing was left behind. My wife was firm and we asked to speak to a senior manager or the GM. It was then that we were asked to please wait for a recheck once again. One hour later, I received a call in my room, requesting me to collect the dress from the reception, without the courtesy of having it sent up to our room. 3) 1 Night on the last leg, before taking our flight back home. Room - Small and in very poor condition with walls having peeling wall paper and stains, Shower room, very small restricting mobility for me at 184cms height. I requested if the room could be changed but was answered with a curt - SORRY. OVERALL - This hotel definitely needs to upgrade it's service which is the FIRST ESSENTIAL in the hospitality business. A mechanical smile and words of welcome are not enough to convince a traveller to come back. If my bookings were not pre-confirmed, I would certainly not re-visit after our experience on the second time.

An iconic hotel, grand and impressive. Beautiful ambience, great location, top class breakfast spread, high speed WiFi and helpful staff. Though, I arrived one day late to the hotel, the receptionist was kind to provide me room that with an upgrade. The view of snow clad mountains from my balcony was scintillating. I arrived late night, but I could get something to eat, thanks to the intervention of Lady Manager. I also got sumptuous packed breakfast as I left the hotel for a day trip quite early in the morning. The restaurant is pretty good,though a bit over crowded during breakfast. A must stay to enjoy the hospitality of this great country and people.

What a disappointing hotel. The service was awful throughout. Whatever the question the answer was always NO! Check in time was 2:00pm. I arrived at noon and asked for an early check in. NO! The room was ready but unless I paid $50 they would not allow early check in. (A different clerk did eventually check me in early) The restaurant closed at 7:00pm for dinner and there was no nearby option. I got take out and just asked for silverware and an empty glass. NO, you may not take to room. Eventually I procured a single fork (still no glass allowed in room. “People steal them”). 30 min later, a knock on the door asking for the fork back! Bar was horribly stocked. Red wine? NO. White Wine? NO. Just beer Breakfast opened at 7am. I arrived at 6:50 and just asked if I could have a coffee while i waited. NO. They ran out of juice, asked for more….wait for it…NO. Power was off several times, once for 2+ hours. Windows don’t open so it became very stuffy. Room was not cleaned one day. I asked just for fresh towels. I had to bring my used ones down to the front desk, where they counted them to be replaced. I guess their guests steal towels too! On checkout I asked politely if I could speak to the manager. “No manager here”. That kinda sums up the whole stay. Many, many better options here and this should never be part of IHG with the terrible service

Rather simple and quite clean structure, located not far from the center of Almaty. My room was quite spacious and clean, equipped with a balcony, bathroom with shower, courtesy set, in particular I found the bed very comfortable. Overall it is a good structure, in my opinion not yet accustomed to welcoming tourists from all over the world. Breakfast and language barriers (only one receptionist out of four I've had to deal with spoke English) to be improved. For the rest, I would recommend it.

This hotel is a little expensive, but there is nothing to say about it. There are several Chinese-speaking ladies at the front desk who are very enthusiastic ^_^, and the bed in the room is also very big...

Hotel staff are polite and very accommodating,they fulfilled most request during my week long stay. However, the TV in the room only offers Russian and Kazakh programs tho there’s a lot of non Russian/Kazakh speaking guest. Wide variety of breakfast but gets repetitive during a long stay. Spa/sauna is complimentary but almost impossible to book, partly lost in translation as the staff in charge doesn’t speak much English and it’s always occupied for some reason.

Были в номере люкс, это конечно не люкс, но в целом все было хорошо, уборка в номере и смена полотенец каждый день, предметы гигиены. Больше всего понравилось расположение, очень удобно было добираться в разные места и передвигаться пешком, просто вечером погулять возле Дворца республики. Завтрак входил в стоимость, был с 7 до 11,но по факту в 10 уже есть было особо нечего, поэтому если хотите позавтракать, надо вставать рано, чего в отпуске не хочется. Сауна, бассейн и тренажёрный зал на троечку, но мы и не ради этого ехали. Территории своей почти нет, но при этом всё таки можно посидеть вечерком на улице за столиком, ввиду отсутствия балконов. В целом можно рекомендовать как хорошую и доступную гостиницу.

Our July 3-12, 2023, family stay at the Novotel Almaty City Center Hotel for our son and daughter-in-law’s Qyz Uzatu bride’s wedding was memorable and outstanding. The staff was accommodating beyond expectations. Examples of services and assistance furnished include: 1) gorgeous congratulatory bouquet of roses, cake, and bottle of champagne for bride and groom upon their arrival, 2) Front Desk Receptionist Elmira ordered, negotiated, and “babysat” multiple wedding flower bouquets the day of the bride’s wedding event, 3) Deputy General Manager Yevgeniy personally helped finalize five 10-day room reservations, following up multiple times ensuring our full satisfaction, then emailing us a farewell and thank you note for our stay, 4) Front Desk Manager Altyn happily assisted with various requests, 5) entire staff was cooperative, positive, and professional, and 6) hotel restaurant’s breakfast buffets were delicious, and lunches were quite satisfying, too. Additionally, the hotel location was fantastic b/c: it’s adjacent to the large public plaza with memorial and fountains, as well as the tram to the nearby mountaintop which had restaurants, zoo, amusement park, etc.; walkable city center with nearby restaurants, shopping, green spaces, and more. Based on our family’s experience, we zealously endorse and recommend the Novotel Almaty City Center Hotel and will fondly remember our stay and the hotel’s kind, thoughtful, and service-oriented staff for taking care of our family.

The hotel is located in the villa area at the foot of Kok Tobe Mountain in the south of Almaty. There are not many rooms, but each one is large in size and has good facilities. There is a Chinese chef who provides a buffet for lunch and dinner, or a la carte. It takes 20 minutes to walk to the top of the mountain (about 1.3km). There are very good restaurants, among which abay has Kazakh food. There are outdoor seats where you can see the scenery of Almaty city. There are performances in the evening, and you need to book a table in advance. Hotel staff can take you to shooting, horse riding, fishing and other activities for an additional fee. You can also send the machine for free. When we arrived in Almaty, due to problems with the Kazakhstan customs system, customs clearance was delayed for dozens of minutes, and the staff kept waiting. The hotel is not far from the Almaty Medeu ski resort, about 12km. The guy who dropped me off at the airport said that someone had already booked to stay at their hotel when they came to ski in the winter.

We recently had a stay at this Swissotel. Given the reputation of the brand, our expectations were naturally set high. However, the reality of our experience fell significantly short of those anticipations. 1. Check-in Procedure: Even with online check-in we were subjected to a 30-minute wait. One of our pre-booked rooms was not ready at the time of arrival. 2. Room's Condition: - A glaring lapse in cleanliness was evident with the state of the bathroom floor near its entrance (photo attached). - The bathroom door's sliding mechanism was faulty and highly inconvenient. - The overall condition of the bathroom indicated it's due for an overhaul and repairs (photos attached). - The discovery of a used ear swab under the table raised significant concerns about the room's preparation and cleanliness (photo attached). - A faulty power outlet in the bathroom added to the growing list of maintenance concerns (photo attached). - The discovery of a dead insect in the drapes clearly points to a continuous lack of attention to detail with the cleaning staff (photo attached). 3. Birthday Cake: Our agreement for a pre-arranged complimentary birthday cake was not only overlooked but was also delivered a day later than promised, despite having multiple conversations and providing evidence of our prior agreement (via the official hotel WhatsApp). 4. Water Bottle Replenishment: The consistent oversight in providing an essential like water, despite multiple request channels, was surprising. The water had to be fetched from the cleaning staff, we had to chase them and ask. None of the other channels, like the official app or the reception, fulfilled our request for the water delivery. 5. Dining: Our anticipation of an à la carte menu was countered by a buffet offering. Being told this was due to hotel occupancy levels feeling unsatisfactory. This went on for both evenings spent at the hotel. Portions of the a la carte menu were available only for room service. 6. Buffet Food Quality: The limited options, particularly for main courses (3), left much to be desired. Our experience with the freshly prepared pasta was particularly disappointing. It was watery, bland, disgusting. You could get better pasta at an office canteen. We have travelled quite a big part of the world and this buffet was easily the worst we have ever had. Both taste and variety were not worth the price. And we were forced into it by being denied the a la carte option. The hotel is above capacity - great, but we paid for the same service as if it weren't, right? Not OUR problem. 7. Breakfast Experience: The overall offering was lackluster. The variety was uninspiring, especially when compared to even basic 3-star hotels. Stale pastry (croissant from the day before) at a 5* hotel is inexcusable - these are absolute basics. Staff appeared overwhelmed, often forgetting to replenish food and drinks (had to be reminded many times) and struggling to manage guest numbers. Only 2 juice options fo