Introduction

I only returned to this hotel because the agency funding my work in Tajikistan has a contract with it – so, I had no choice.

With just a little more attention to detail, this hotel could be really good. None of the points I have raised below are that serious on their own and are, generally, fixed when pointed out. However, it should not be up to the guest to have to do this.

Transfer

This time the problem started at the airport where there was no one from the hotel to meet me – so, I had to spend $20 getting to the hotel bearing in mind this was 2am after travelling for around 30 hours!

Room

On arrival, there was a problem finding my booking. I am not sure if they found it or just gave up looking for it but gave me a room “on a new floor which they wanted me to try out”.

The room was being cleaned when I got to it and the cleaner left without leaving any clean towels. There was also no bag or form for the laundry.

Last time I stayed here there was no chair for the desk. This time there was not only no chair but also no desk – see photo. After requesting them as soon as I noticed and, again, after breakfast they duly appeared later in the morning.

The room seems to be following the minimalist concept of one of the Western hotel chains which give you virtually nowhere to put your clothes – see photo.

The ‘fridge was not working – I found out why in the morning after I removed it from its housing – it was not plugged in!! Having fixed that – it worked OK.

The window was jammed ajar. This gave the worst of both worlds – you could not open it to get fresh air and you could not close it to shut out the noise.

The guy who brought my desk had a go at fixing it but without success. After a lot of effort – including taking the window out and down to the workshop, it was eventually fixed. I just left it shut in case it broke again.

On the plus side, the air conditioning worked well this time and I had a settee. This was fine for reading but not TV watching from it as this is at the bottom of the bed – and the bed is fine and there is a large walk-in shower.

The Wi-Fi is OK most of the time but less so after work/before dinner and around breakfast time when, presumably, everyone is in and using it.
The hotel seems well built and you do not hear your neighbours – unlike at many hotels with paper-thin walls.

Breakfast

The Tajikistan girls football squad was staying in the hotel. Slightly odd for what is supposed to be a top business hotel. The time that it was a problem was if you wanted to have breakfast or go out at the same time as them.

Firstly, you had a long wait for the lift.

After the first day when half of the hot dish trays were empty and there was no fruit, I came down as early as possible to avoid them.

The problem with this is that so did everyone else!

With a large section of the dining area reserved for the footballers, the rest of us were forced on top of each other. The tables were not being cleaned quickly – so, you had to move the debris of the previous occupant before being able to eat your breakfast.

Other minor niggles vis a vis breakfast included – “rubbery” bread, no cold meat, coffee machine not working, etc. etc. Every day, there was one problem different from the previous day!

Summary

As I said, the various problems are a shame as it could be one of the top hotels in Dushanbe with a bit more attention to detail of what international guests expect for a hotel.

A great central hotel in Dushanbe, which is affordable.

I sadly thought the entire hotel was non-smoking but upon arrival this wasn’t the case. My room was clean and tidy, with all mod cons and plenty of space.

What I didn’t like:
- The shower button to switch between handheld and rain shower was sealed and I couldn’t budge it
- Towels were quite rough, definitely need replacing for softer alternatives
- Traffic noise from the Main Street was quite frequent throughout the night, although not the hotels fault it was difficult to get off to sleep
- Air conditioning unit didn’t seem to work property, the room was really hot and no matter what setting I put it on nothing changed

I didn’t get chance to use the pool, gym or have breakfast but it was nice to have these options included.

If I visited Dushanbe I would stay again.

Introduction

Given the excellent reviews I was expecting a top-quality hotel but it fell short of the mark.

Room

At first glance the room, if a bit small, looked very nice but then you realise there is nowhere to put your suitcase to unpack.

Then you notice that there are no chairs – not even one with the desk let alone an armchair to sit and watch TV or read. I requested one after breakfast on my first day but it did not come – I eventually asked the cleaner to move one from an empty room next door.

The air conditioning did not work which as the temperature was up to 27C outside was unfortunate. This meant that I had to have the window open all the time listening to the traffic on the busy road outside the hotel and the building site opposite – quiet it was not!

On the plus side the bathroom was excellent, the bed comfortable and the WiFi good.

Breakfast

This is available from 7am to 11am. The first day I came down around 10am as I had not got to bed until 4.30am due to the late arrival of my flight.

Whilst there was a reasonable hot selection left, there was very little cold items left – meats, cheeses, etc. On subsequent days I went down earlier to ensure plenty of choice.

Overall it is OK but nothing to rave over given the surroundings you are eating it in.

Laundry

The five free pieces of laundry per day service is really good – apart from the fact that when the clothes are returned there is not a new form for the next batch.