Central Baku Hotel

The hotel is very nice. We had excellent 3 nights. Reception staff Ayna is very helpful and welcoming, she is following us since before coming and asked about our flight status. The location is super super amazing, it is very close to Nizami street and other tourists attraction, literally everything we go by walking. Highly recommended.

This is a great hotel just next to Nizami Street. I just loved the hospitality here. We were provided a cab from the airport to the hotel. Aina was really helpful and welcoming. She was in touch since 2 days before our trip and welcomed us very warmly. She was really helpful in providing all the information regarding ATM, nearby places and the day tours.

Disappointing Experience – Not Recommended Our stay at Central Baku Hotel was unfortunately far from what we expected based on the glowing reviews we read online. While we had hoped for a comfortable and professional experience, several red flags and issues made our stay quite disappointing. We arrived early at around 11 AM, before the official check-in time of 2 PM. While we were happy to wait and understanding about the protocols, the receptionist, Ayna, offered early check-in in exchange for a favor—she asked us to immediately leave a positive Google review from both of our phones. This made us uncomfortable, especially when she followed up multiple times via calls and messages, pressuring us to post the reviews. This experience made us question the authenticity of many of the reviews we had read prior to booking. Another concern was the handling of the payment. We initially paid in cash, but later requested to switch to card payment as booking.com would charge us on our credit card. The receptionist refused and forced to cancel the booking made via booking.com stating that the hotel didn’t want to pay the 30% commission to Booking.com. This felt very shady. On the day of our arrival was my birthday, we were offered by Ayna to visit Dushbara restaurant, supposedly with a 20% discount arranged through the hotel. When we arrived and had our bill, the restaurant had no knowledge of this offer and the owner confirmed that no such agreement existed. This left us feeling misled. We also booked a tour to Absheron and Gobustan through the hotel. On the morning of the tour, there was no receptionist at the front desk to take our payment and we had to leave. Halfway through the tour, we began receiving calls from the hotel and they even called the driver’s phone and insisted us that we pay the driver immediately. This was frustrating and made us feel as though we were accused of escaping, despite having an active booking and our belongings in the room. Cleanliness and service were another issue. We returned to find the trash bin emptied but the room otherwise untouched—no new towels, toiletries or bed service. When we inquired at the reception, we were told housekeeping only enters the room if a specific tag is left on the door. However, this still questions me as to how the trash was taken out without someone entering the room. When we requested new toiletries, the guy at the reception handed used bottles that were nearly empty, which was very disappointing (picture attached). Breakfast was repetitive and basic: bread, jam, a few cut tomatoes and cucumbers, olives, eggs or sausages and tea or coffee which is served on your table. No buffet as no options. What concerned us more was witnessing the owner smoking in the kitchen area, raising serious questions about hygiene and food safety. Overall, our stay was not up to expectations. Between the pressure to leave positive google reviews, poor service, and hygiene concerns, we wouldn’t recommend this hotel. We understand the hotel may respond to this review either denying or wanting to sort in person, but everything described above reflects our genuine experience.