Hotel Excelsior

Very poor value. Not recommended at all.

This is an overpriced, badly managed 2-star hotel. You pay for internet in the room, but you don't get it, except intermittently and even then the connection speed is pathetic. They blame it on the ISP, but the internet café 20 metres down the street has a good service and it is uninterrupted.
You would think that US$40 per night would include electricity round-the-clock. But it doesn't. They only switch the generator on if you beg them to, and they act like they are doing you a favor.
They don't know what clean is. Everything is full of dust and grit. The elevator breaks down or stops short of the floor you want. The maid left my room unlocked after cleaning it, so it was open to theft all day. If you complain, the manager and the reception staff become rude, verbally aggressive and insulting. The room rate doesn’t include breakfast, but it does include blaring loud music from the huge discotheque next door. It’s guaranteed to keep you awake until the wee hours.
On top of all that, on checking out they stung me for using MasterCard, claiming that the Finance Ministry obliges them to convert the dollar rate into local currency at a really awful exchange rate.
To summarize, this is the most unpleasant hotel experience I have had during 20 years of living in and travelling around Asia. The Excelsior is appalling value for money. Don't let them put you through what they put me through.

Unique Quality: Don't be fooled into thinking the rooms have great views. Some of the rooms may have had a decent view years ago, but because of the many buildings that have sprung up in recent years, NONE of the rooms has a view of the mountains today.