Grand Hotel Tien-Shan

I was there for an event, but it was well set up with old style hotel. It was cozy with the cold winter outside. The staff freindly and helpful.

solid 4 stars for a 4 star hotel good spa area, great location, big rooms somewhat old bathrooms, very hot in rooms (usual for Kazakhstan though), somewhat basic breakfast

The hotel was very comfortable and seemed safe. (Good news as our safe didn’t work). We had a room on the ground floor and chose to stay on the inner side as it was quieter. The air con was quite noisy and the en-suite had a musty smell. We didn’t try any of the spa or beauty treatments.

To be honest selected this hotel accidentally but it proved to be a great choice. Located at a very prime location in almaty as most of the must visit sites of almaty is around 2km radius from this hotel. Can be accessed easily by walking. If you are travelling as adults or with elder kids then this hotel will be the best as you can prevent taking the day tours operator and explore everything by walking by yourself. For traveling with kids then take a taxi which will cost much less then taking the tour operator. The church green bazaar, chocolate factory, Republic square, everything is close by. The staff speaks English and they are very nice. They help you with all needs. The restaurant is not so expensive when compared to the surrounding restaurants. The rooms are maintained well, cleaned everyday. Bring your travel adapters with you as they don't have it. A few meters walk there are shops where you can buy some snacks and grocery.

Phenomenal hotel, food & spa! We stayed at this hotel for a week and we loved it so much—the nicest staff, comfortable clean room, excellent spa treatments and facilities, breakfast buffet delicious and changing regularly. We loved the boutique aspect of this hotel and its central location.

I had high hopes for this stay, but it quickly turned into an appalling experience. Arriving at 2 AM, I was given the wrong room with no apology or urgency to fix the issue. The room they moved me to had a non-functional air conditioner, and despite repeated complaints, the staff took no action whatsoever. Their final advice? “Open the window.” That is not acceptable at any standard of hospitality. The breakfast service was equally poor. It supposedly starts at 6 AM, yet by 7:30, a large portion of the items were unavailable and the staff had no explanation or interest in resolving it. This establishment is plagued by poor management, apathetic staff, and a complete lack of professionalism. I would strongly advise others to avoid this hotel entirely. It’s not worth the money, time, or frustration.

Positives: the location is prime. The pool and spa are really nice. The buffet breakfast is great with a variety of foods to choose from except for bread which was limited. Staffs were polite. The taxi to the airport was on time and the ride was very smooth. Negatives: the tap water is NOT potable, yet they leave a 0,5l bottle of water as complementary every day, clearly not sufficient. There is no tea kettle or coffee machine in the rooms. The rooms are dark and don't have good lighting. The beds are not super comfortable and are old. The AC makes noise and is not effective at all. Some rooms facing the street are very noisy in the morning. The rooms are not noise isolated and this you even hear people walking in the corridors. The electric plugs do not work when the lights are off and this is the strangest thing in this hotel. So I had to leave the light in the bathroom on to keep charging my phone over night. I worked all day and had no chance to charge my electric devices except overnight when I came back to my room. The curtains do not block the light. I arrived at 4 a.m. and needed to get some sleep but the room was bright as sun was already out and even with curtains closed, the room was fully bright. I had to change rooms after the first night bc the first room was very noisy. Overall, the rooms don't deserve a 4 star hotel rating. Yet, the breakfast and spa center are good to get a 4 star ratings. The reception tried to charge me for a Heineken which I hadn't drunk!!! I had to say twice that I didn't drink that to avoid extra charges. Finally, if I go to Almaty again, will I stay at this hotel? No, unfortunately not. Although I also have no experience with other hotels in Almaty. Who knows, maybe they are even worse that this one.

### Dates of stay: August 16-17, 2025||### Rating: 1/5 stars||I stayed at Hotel Grand Tien Shan on August 16-17, 2025, and had a highly disappointing experience. Despite being in a good central location, the hotel's shortcomings far outweighed any positives.||||### Major Issues:||- *Poor service*: Front desk staff, specifically Ms. Aisulu, was extremely rude and unprofessional.||- *Outdated property*: The hotel is in need of renovation. Basic amenities like a kettle with coffee/tea were missing in the room.||- *Inaccessible bathrooms*: Bathtubs were difficult to get in/out of due to their height.||- *Lack of assistance*: When checking out at 1 AM, Ms. Aisulu refused to have staff bring my luggage down. I had to carry my 4 bags myself.||- *Abusive behavior*: Ms. Aisulu responded loudly and abusively when I commented on the lack of bellboy service.|| She said no need to come and stay in this hotel again-very very unprofessional.||### Verdict||Given the abysmal service and lack of basic amenities, I would *not recommend this hotel to anyone*. In my opinion, it rates lower than 1 star.