At the starting point of the Duku Highway, there is a hotel with top-notch hardware

This year, the opening of the Duku Highway was quite sudden, and it was one of the earliest in recent years. It opened on June 1st, which also indicates that Xinjiang got hot early this year, almost a month earlier than last year. Plans to visit Ili in early June missed the best period, which should have been in mid-May this year. It was indeed a coincidence. I arrived in Kuqa on the evening of May 31st and saw the opening ceremony sign of the Duku Highway on the way. However, I didn't plan to join the crowd on the first day. I stayed in Kuqa for two nights and went on the Duku Highway on the 2nd. The first night was spent at the Hilton Garden Inn. This was my first time staying at the Home2 Suites by Hilton brand. Within the Hilton Group system, Home2 Suites is on the same level as Hampton and Garden Inn but leans more towards long-term apartment stays. Currently, it is fully managed and operated by the Funyard Hotel Group in China, similar to Hampton. The location of this hotel is quite good, right next to the Nanhu Scenic Area. It is an independent building with a large parking lot. The lobby has a double-height ceiling, making it look more grandiose than the Hilton Garden Inn in Aksu. There is also a beautiful spiral staircase connecting the lobby to the second-floor restaurant. The lobby has a nice self-service drink bar with a coffee machine, several syrups, and six flavors of blended teas like peach oolong, which are quite tasty. Indeed, it is similar to Hampton. Diamond members do not get upgrades, only two bottles of Coke and three packs of small cookies as a welcome gift. However, even the basic room configuration is quite high. The room is labeled as 40 square meters but feels even larger. To the left of the entrance is a luggage rack, and to the right is the bathroom. The minibar also serves as a simple kitchenette, equipped with a Haier microwave, a folding vegetable washing basket, and a cutting board. The tea bags are the same as those in the lobby bar, and I took quite a few to make cold brew tea on the road, which is my favorite aspect of this hotel. Additionally, the minibar has a capsule coffee machine, which is rare, and the small refrigerator seems to have a freezing function. The bedroom is spacious, with a work area and a reception area as you enter. Although the desk, chairs, and sofa are very simple, there are many cute little ornaments on the wall cabinet. There is also an extra luggage rack inside the TV cabinet. The bathroom has a single sink, a very spacious shower, and the faucet, shower, and smart toilet are all from Roca, which is quite high-end. The toiletries from Peter Thomas Roth are also nice. As a hotel costing 300 yuan per night, the hardware and space are indeed impeccable. The service, being similar to Hampton, is not expected to be great, but there is a major flaw: cleanliness. There were multiple obvious stains on the towels and bath towels, and various hairs on the sheets under the quilt. For a hotel that has been open for less than a year, the carpets and other areas were also quite dirty, indicating a rather perfunctory approach to maintenance and cleaning. Not sure if this is an isolated case, but if you don't mind these issues, it is still quite cost-effective.