Avoid This Hotel. Serious Hygiene Issues, Gaslighting, and Dishonest Refund Handling
I am currently staying at Sheraton Bishkek in an
“Executive One Bedroom King Suite with City View and Club Lounge”, and this has been one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve had at a so-called 5-star property.
There is a severe, persistent greasy frying oil smell across the entire Club floors (19th–22nd floors). It starts from the hallway and fills the rooms. This is not a mild odor — it is a heavy, old oil stench that causes nausea and headaches.
• On check-in day, my first room smelled so bad that I had to change rooms immediately.
• After going out in the morning, I returned at 7 PM and the smell inside the room was so overwhelming I nearly vomited. My head hurt and the smell had soaked into my clothes.
• My girlfriend smelled it clearly, and even the bellboy who moved my room admitted the smell.
Despite this, when I called reception:
• A manager came up and claimed there was “no smell at all”, treating me like I was imagining things.
• He asked whether it might be coming from drainage or air-conditioning — I am not a technician. I am a guest who paid to rest.
• We checked multiple Club floor rooms together — every single one smelled the same.
• A room on the 7th floor did NOT smell, proving the issue is isolated to higher Club floors, likely due to kitchen ventilation.
They then offered me:
• A lower-category, smaller room
• No city view (facing a rooftop with mechanical equipment)
• No compensation
This room was clearly cheaper (about USD 100 less) — I showed the Trip.com listing on my phone, directly in front of the staff, and they flat-out denied reality, insisting it was the same category.
Refund handling was dishonest
• Trip.com told me they would refund immediately if the hotel approved cancellation.
• The hotel first said they would cancel, then later claimed Trip.com refused.
• Trip.com then confirmed the opposite: the hotel strongly refused refund.
• At the front desk, staff said “cancellation is absolutely impossible”, no discussion.
Escalation made things worse
The highest-level manager came and said:
“No one else is complaining. Why are YOU the only one?”
He again insisted there was no smell, and treated me like I was mentally unstable.
When I asked him to smell my clothes (which were freshly washed before arrival), he admitted my clothes smelled — yet still denied the room smell, even though that odor clearly came from the room itself.
Check-in service was unacceptable
• No staff at the lobby.
• Asked for help with luggage — an elderly security guard who didn’t speak English and had no intention of helping.
• Waited over 10 minutes.
• When I asked for a trolley to move luggage myself, I was told “it’s over there, take it yourself.”
This is NOT a 5-star experience.
This is poor hygiene, gaslighting of guests, dishonest handling of refunds, and zero accountability.
⚠️ Strong warning:
If you are sensitive to smells, value basic hygiene, or expect professional service — DO NOT stay on the Club floors of Sheraton Bishkek.
I will never return, and I strongly advise others to avoid this hotel.
