Back on line at last, reading and writing to catch up on. Happy New Year!
Back on line at last, reading and writing to catch up on. Happy New Year!
Member since:25.07.2003
Reviews:104
Members who trust:43
Almaty is the largest city and former capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The capital was moved a few years ago to Astana but Almaty, in the south east of the country, remains the business and commercial centre.
Like most Soviet republic capitals there are a number of large, concrete, box-like, Soviet hotels which appear to have come from the Stalin school of architectural design. Since independence a few new, smaller hotels have been built, but two new hotels dominate the international market. Of these only the Rahat Palace has become part of an international chain and is now the Hyatt Regency Rahat Palace.
I've stayed at the HyattRegency Almaty eight or nine times, the first in 1998 and most recently in November 2003. In this time I have seen few changes; the single most noticeable change is that the hookers who used to populate the lobby bar have been moved out, apparently to the neighbouring night club.
LOCATION The hotel is located in the city, a little to one side of the central area, on Satpaeva Street, which runs from the central republic square. It is next to the Circus amusement park and the new Metro Centre which boasts an indoor go-kart track, night club and bowling alley. On the other side there is another bowling alley, then about a ten to fifteen minute walk to Republic Square.
The hotel offers an airport transfer, for US$20 each way. Hotel taxis are also avaialable for runs downtown - more expensive than normal taxis, though if you don't book them, just go out and talk to the driver, they are often open to negotiation!
APPROACH The entrance to the hotel now has a security check point where all vehicles are stopped. They may check the car, the boot or ask for ID; how strict they are depends very much on where there are any particular VIPs staying at the hotel. When there are visiting dignitaries staying, security can be ridiculously strict, to the point of even hotel guests not being allowed
to park on the premises!
The driveway approaches the hotel alongside the beer garden, which in summer has tables outside where they serve beer, barbecue food and a Sunday brunch. On the other side of the drive is a short row of offices including a travel agency and the local Lufthansa office. Parking spaces are in short supply; there are about a dozen spaces to one side and about another dozen in front of the hotel, after which people tend to park on the driveway itself making access a bit difficult if there is a major event being held at the hotel.
LOBBY The hotel is three sided, built around a central atrium which houses the lobby area, topped with a glass ceiling at the tenth floor level.
Walking in, the reception desk is on the left, with a currency exchange booth next to it. To the right is a travel agency kiosk and, next to that, a small gift shop. Beyond, in the centre of the atrium, is the bar/coffee shop, known as the Yurt Bar.
Around to the left of reception is the small business centre, offering internet access, printing, translation services etc. Following the lobby around clockwise, after the business centre you will find another gift shop. Around further you will find the small and discreet entrance to the casino them, round further and opposite the hotel entrance, is the Grill restaurant. Further around, on the third side, are the lifts and, behind them, the entrance to the main Dzhambul restaurant. To one side of the lifts are stairs leading down to the fitness centre and meeting rooms. Next to these is the cloak room, for leaving your coat when attending functions, and behind them the ladies and gents restrooms. These then bring you back to the hotel entrance, and you can start all over again!
THE ROOM I’ve stayed in about half a dozen different rooms at the Hyatt Almaty and most have been the same. The layout is the stand four star hotel layout:
Entering the room, there is the usual cupboard to one side, with a reasonable amount of room to hang clothes on the six or seven hangers supplied. Next to the cupboard is a flat space at knee level to place your suitcase. Opposite is the entrance to the bathroom.
The room then opens up into the bedroom proper. The double bed is king size, super sized, firm and comfortable. To one side of the bed is a small, square wooden table and one armchair; one of the couple obviously has to sit on the bed!
Opposite the bed is a good size (21 inch) television with remote control. International channels available are CNN, BBC World, Sky News, MTVAsia and a handfull of movie and series channels.
There is a minibar, well stocked and the usual pricey prices. There is a writing desk with telephone and smartly, for the laptop users, two phone sockets and power points just by the desk.
The room is air conditioned with a visible and simple temperature control, the air conditioner is quiet and effective.
The decor is typical for an upmarket hotel in the former Soviet Union managed by an international chain - in other words, bland and green. The carpet is green flecked with a rich brown. The furniture and fittings are all natural medium hued wood, with a darker wood border. The curtains are super lined, thick and heavy.
A couple of times recently I have been given an executive room, which is super-sized on the corner of the building. The main differences are more space, a nice full length mirror on the wall, two armchairs with the coffee table and a better equipped work area with laptop internet connection.
There is no tea/coffee making facilities, but one of the best parts of the Hyatt "Gold Passport" frequent guest programme is the complimentary morning coffee. There is a sign you can hang outside your door ordering a complimentary morning cup of coffee and stating the time you want it (a great wake up call). Along with the coffee or tea you can order a croissant. This is, for me, a super benefit. The only downside is that not all Hyatts remember to leave the card in the room every evening, and the Hyatt Almaty is no exception in forgetting typically one day in three.
FACILITIES The Hyatt Almaty has an extensive fitness centre. To one side of The "Club Olympus" reception are changing rooms, a gym with treadmills, cycling and weight machines and to one side of that the rooms for massage. Beyond these are the indoor pool which is magnificent - irregularly shaped and set in a landscaped tropical garden complete with trees, shrubbery and tropical atmosphere. Downstairs are changing rooms, showers and locker rooms.
Also downstairs are a number of meeting rooms offering the usual conference and business facilities. I’ve not seen all of the rooms but the ones that I did see were well lit, considering they are at basement level, reasonably well equipped and air conditioned. Back upstairs there are banqueting facilities for a couple of hundred people, accessed through the main Dzhambul restaurant.
There is a casino also located off the lobby, accessed via a discreet door. Quite popular with local businessmen and the gambling community, it is large, airy and with a busy buzz to it. To one side is a relaxation area with a small complimentary buffet.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE The in-hotel food and drinks offerings consist of:
Dzhambul. (also known as "Shambles"). Named after Kazakhstan's best known literary figure and poet, this is the main restaurant which is open all day. They have a buffet at main meal times which is quite good, varied, with international dishes and some local dishes to sample. The Sunday brunches are also popular and include a wide range of sweets and pastries as well as the hot dishes. The only down side is that the evening buffets are not very popular so some of the dishes end up looking a bit dry or tired. They also have a la carte dining available. The service is reasonably good, depending on the waitress, though it can be a bit slow. The background music tends to be soft pop - I had many breakfasts listening to The Coors.
The Grill: the upmarket restaurant open for business lunches and in the evenings. They have some of the best steaks in Almaty, though the price reflects their exclusive status. The menu is mainly meats - steaks, lamb, chicken and some seafood. The service is generally good, and sometimes even flirty!
The Yurt Lobby Lounge. In the centre of the atrium, open from morning till late. A "Yurt", other than being a sound you might make while throwing up, is also a traditional central asian tent and it is so called because of the full size replica Yurt erected over the circular bar. The lounge is raised up a few steps above the lobby, perfect for falling down on your way out, and offers comfy booths around the edges and standard tables and chairs in the middle. The high bar is surrounded by stools, and on one side is a small counter displaying the cheesecakes and gateaux of the day. The Yurt Lounge was, and remains, a popular place for businessmen to meet at the end of the day for a casual drink, or to have a nightcap after dinner at the restaurant. This used to be the hookers ground; every seat at the circular bar was occupied by a heavily made up woman in a short skirt and tight top, smoking, surveying every table on the lookout for a single man. Regulars to the lounge used to watch the hookers going up in the lift with their customers and place bets on how long they would be before coming back down; I’m not kidding, depending on whether the girl was twenty or twenty five minutes money would change hands in the lobby bar as well as in the bedroom! Thankfully now the working girls ply their trade in the neighbouring nightclub, though occasionally one does find her way into the lounge!
Tau Samal beer garden, in front of the hotel, open in the warmer summer months. Light food, mainly barbecued, and drinks available lunchtimes and evenings and a popular wind down spot for foreigners. In the summers, the Sunday Brunch is also served outside, not as varied as the indoor buffet in the cooler months and the one time I was ill after a meal in the Hyatt was after an outdoor Sunday brunch.
There is also a piano bar up on the tenth floor, though this has been closed for a year now. One day they might decide to reopen it as something else, though as yet there is no indication what. Perhaps a Piano bar....
SERVICE Generally reasonable for Almaty standards. Most of the people speak enough English to handle every day enquiries. The service in the Yurt lounge and Dzhambul is fairly efficient though at times you can be left alone for long periods of time. On one occasion late at night in the bar, unable to get the waitress' attention, I ended up using my mobile phone to call the hotel, got transferred to the bar and asked her to walk over to the far end with a couple of vodkas. T The Grill is a bit more respectful and polite, reflecting the exclusive atmosphere and prices.
Housekeeping is a bit hit and miss, sometimes excellent, sometimes small details can be missed.
The service at reception can be mixed. Most of the people are pleasant enough, if a little serious and unsmiling. Check in itself is reasonably swift, though any requests out of the ordinary can take a little explaining.
SUMMARY Generally acknowledged as one of the two best hotels in Almaty. The other one, the Regent, is probably more luxurious and a little more consistent but also more expensive. The Hyatt is less luxurious than Grand Hyatts, but on a par with most other Hyatt's I've stayed in. A bit frustrating sometimes, and you know they could do better, but more than adequate!
One of the best things is the view; Almaty is at the foot of the Tian Shan mountain range, and every morning opening the curtains you get a view of the sun over the mountains - stunning. Unless you have a room at the back in which case you look over a funfair.
PS Ignore the data below - the hotel has appeared in the city guide instead of hotels, so I have to fill in information on the size of group, scenery and shopping!
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Tell you what Vodka boy, you ain't half got a fascinating profile here, I could sit and read this stuff all night. Much better than reading about Spain!
FrenchCancan 02.03.2004 13:24
It is all there right ? What else could one want ? Thanks for your insight and review...
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