Rixos Borovoe

Our visit turned into a disappointment. On the territory of the Rixos Borovoe hotel there is the “Chalet” restaurant, where we planned to spend the evening. But we were simply not allowed in. At the entrance to the hotel grounds, our car was stopped and we were told that without paying a deposit we could not enter. It felt as if guests were treated as potential offenders or people who could not be trusted. We came specifically to the restaurant to spend a significant amount, but instead of hospitality we were met with humiliation and refusal. Such a practice is absolutely inconsistent with international standards of hotel and restaurant service. Rixos positions itself as a high-level brand, but in reality guests are met with barriers and bureaucracy. The impression is extremely negative. We believe that this approach undermines trust in the Rixos brand and discourages any desire to return. I do not recommend the “Chalet” restaurant or the service at Rixos Borovoe to anyone who values respectful treatment and civilized standards of hospitality.

Hotel location, facilities and range of activities are all amazing. Food quality is very good.

After my first night, there was a violent thunderstorm that resulted in my room being partially flooded, so I had to change rooms as repairs were going to last half a day. The room switch and subsequent communication between reception and their manager was below standards for a hotel of this standing. I had to go to reception to find out what was going to happen and when. The issue was eventually solved, but I wasted 40-60 minutes of my vacation time just waiting around for someone to communicate with me. My new room was identical to the first minus the view of the gorgeous sunset I had in the first room. As compensation for all the waiting, I was granted a free dinner in a location of my choice, but only after I mentioned that it would be good customer service practice for the hotel to make a gesture for the inconvenience encountered, and only after I declined the free dinner at the buffet (this hotel has an all inclusive rate which consists in having all meals at the buffet. If I had wanted to have meals at the buffet, I would have opted for this, but this is just not what I wanted to do.) The hotel is comfortable, clean, and my room was quiet. I had awesome food at 3 locations: the Summer cafe (where I must commend Umida's impeccable service and great English skills), the Chalet, and the Sunset Terrace. Here, I must also commend the staff in all locations including the spa and the beach. The weather cooperated and the beach was delightful. Overall I left refreshed and stocked up with enough vitamin D to last me half the harsh winter in Astana! The way the room change was handled was terrible. Staff needs more training to communicate updates to guests promptly. Service is at times not 5 star quality, undoubtedly due to some language barriers (it is difficult to find staff members fluent enough in English and I don't speak fluent Russian and Kazakh), but also due to lack of proper training on how to handle difficult and unpredictable situations appropriately (e.g., offering some sort of compensation to the guest). However, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the hotel GM, Jesper Francl, who seems to be everywhere on the property at all times! He personally made sure everything was okay with my new room and came to check on me several times without ever being intrusive.

A lot of thanks hotel’s staff for your hospitality and good job. We with family celebrated my happy b’day at Sunset Terrace and guest relationships manager Saniya congratulated me with sweet cake by Rixos Borovoe. Also, I want to say thank for officiant Olzhas for his attention and work.