Swissôtel Wellness Resort Alatau Almaty

I visited this hotel for a family trip. I have traveled all over the world, but I have never experienced a hotel with such terrible service—not a single apology was offered throughout our stay. 1. Rusty tap water: Brown, rusty water came out for the entire duration of our stay, making it impossible to use the water. The hotel claimed it was due to an electrical issue. 2. Room downgrade: We booked a room with a balcony, but we were forced into a room without one because they were overbooked. 3. Elevator breakdown: The elevator suddenly stopped, trapping our child inside alone. 4. Poor spa service: We paid 100,000 KZT for a massage, but the service was an absolute mess. Despite all these severe issues, the hotel offered zero apologies and zero compensation. Staying here genuinely ruined our impression of Kazakhstan as a whole. Fortunately, after checking out, we moved to The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty, which provided a completely different level of service. There is truly no reason to choose Swissôtel. If you want an enjoyable trip, please read this review and avoid Swissôtel Almaty at all costs. You will be showering in rusty water without any compensation or apology from management. Furthermore, the property is far from the city center. Considering travel distance and sightseeing convenience, I strongly recommend that international travelers book properties like The Ritz-Carlton or InterContinental instead.

Mountain view from the room was beautiful. Room was spacious too. However, the hotel’s location is quite far from city centre (on average 50-60 minutes on Yandex Go ride hailing).

Overall, it was a good stay. The hotel has beautiful mountain views and a large, green property, although there aren’t enough walking paths throughout the grounds. The overall atmosphere still feels like the Soviet-era resort it once was, and that is reflected in the service as well. The restaurants are decent, but they’re overpriced, and it would be much more convenient if they had online menus. One downside is that guests are not allowed to use the spa after check-out.

Overall the stay was good and the location is excellent, but the air conditioning in the room didn’t work properly. Neighbours were noisy for half the night, and reception took a while to sort it out. Service was also much slower than expected - iced tea took over 35 minutes to arrive.