AK-Keme hotel

I recently spent time at the new Ak-keme Hotel, and the experience was extremely positive. From the moment I arrived, I was met by a polite and friendly staff who made sure my stay was comfortable. The hotel looks modern and stylish, and the equipment in the rooms is simply of the highest standard. Especially I want to mention the chic bed linen - it was incredibly soft and pleasant to the touch, which contributed to a great sleep. The hotel is currently completing the construction of a casino, which will be a great addition for foreign visitors. Also under renovation is the pool outside, which hopefully will be ready soon. Every corner of the hotel is thoughtful to the nitty-gritty, and I felt at home here, by the way, the view from the window is gorgeous! I will definitely come back here again and recommend to all those looking for comfort and quality!

First of all the good points: - Staff were polite and helpful - Bed was comfortable - Breakfast was good - Hotel appears popular and vibrant with a young clientele. - Inexpensive - Plenty of shops/restaurants a short walk away The negatives: - The hotel is dated - It is about 4km from the city centre, so in practical terms this means taking a taxi (cheap but you will have to haggle, especially on the return). - There is an additional charge of 700 Soms (9€) per day to use the swimming pool. If you book and pay in advance using a booking engine, be prepared to have to pay all over again in cash when you arrive. The Internet promotion and reservations are contracted out to a separate company, and it seems that there is a breakdown in communication and invoicing arrangements between the hotel, agent and Internet booking engines. The result is not very customer-friendly.

We spent 3 night here booked by an agency for us. At first we though it would be a treat considering the 4*. In reality is more a 1* hotel. Rooms are old, paint shows a faded colour, carpets old and look dirty even when clean. The furniture is old and damaged and so is the bed. I had 2 different rooms and were no different. Same story in the bathroom where everything that once was white, now is yellow. No soap at a 4* hotel, just a half used shampoo tube. No slippers, bathrobe. Only some rooms have mini fridge and air con. No minibar. Old school key for the door. Rust stains on the sheets. The only good thing about the hotel is the balcony views over the mountains. The reception staff is helpful and there is a storage unit for luggage. Breakfast is decent but not excellent. Terrace and pool seems to be ran by a different company and is overpriced and with very poor service. After asking the waitress to bring me 3 different drinks I had to go to the bar and see what was in stock eventually. Overall disappointing considering the price of a room. Quite far away from the centre as well. Must use own car or taxi. There are much better hotels at lower price.