Arrived at 3 am and greeted by a fluent English-speaking reception desk. The entire staff was young, helpful and really went out of their way to help with sometimes unsual requests eg loaned me a jump drive when I had lost mine and needed to copy a file.
The Hotel is spotless, very Euro-contemporary in decor. The rooms are relatively large, everything works and the beds are very comfortable. Great shower, great spa and great Central Asian breakfast: beautifully sliced and arranged cheeses, breads, eggs as you like them, sausages, and tea not coffee. Restaurant is good if you eat in.
Be prepared for a hairy taxi ride from the airport. The freeway was designed with few exits and no way to get across. So it looks like you are driving around in circles because you have to. There is no zoning and no grid plan. Side streets are narrow, winding, only partially paved and unlit even in good neighborhoods. Houses face back-to-the-street so you feel like you're about to be ambushed but in fact, it's just a different cultural approach to city non-planning. The drivers will however try to overcharge you exorbitantly. Have your hotel or travel agency send a car to pick you up. If not, have some tenge with you, because the fare shouldn't be more than 5000t at most, even with the foreigners' up charge.