Kyiv in bottom 10 of world hotel rankings

[ML]

Kyiv in bottom 10 of world hotel rankings.  But the list from top to bottom contains some rather strange looking results.  Chicago in top 10; Los Angeles in bottom 10?  Dresden in top 10; Frankfurt in bottom 10?

http://www.kyivpost.com/guide/about-kyiv/lifestyle-blog-kyiv-in-bottom-10-of-hotel-reputation-ranking-survey-319815.html

[lordtiberius]

Amen!

[jone]

Don't know what your preferences are, but the Opera Hotel is great as a boutique hotel.  I think it's only keyed for around 100 rooms but it is exceptional in service and accommodations.  It has gotten pricey in the past two years.

[lordtiberius]

http://www.myfidelio.net/webui/AvailabilitySearch.aspx?chain=ESTA&property=UAOP&language=en&step=0

$ 350 a night?  No, not pricey AT ALL

[jone]

I like it.  Vladimir, the concierge is a great friend and Sasha, the doorman, and I have gone out for lunch.  I admit, that my tastes run a bit more extravagant than most.  But a good boutique hotel is worth it's weight in gold - even if gold is what you pay to stay there.

[jone]

As long as we're on the topic of hotels, the Opera has a sister hotel in Donetsk.  It is called the Donbass.  I hear it is also remarkable.  Has anyone stayed there?  I was hoping to make a side trip down there next visit.

In Kharkiv, I would recommend the Cosmopolit Art Hotel.  It is on the north side of City Center, but easily accessible to any destinations.  And when I stayed there this summer, my average nightly fee for a room was between $60 and $70.  They served an all-you-can-eat breakfast with this room fee.

[Hammer2722]

I just recently stayed at the Korona hotel near Boryspil Airport. Very comfortable brand new rooms with free in- room WI-FI, free breakfast, and the staff seemed very polite and helpful. All this for just $55.00 per night. They even have shuttle service to and from the airport for just $9.00!!! I highly recommend staying there if you need a place to stay for the night while waiting for your next day flight!

[lordtiberius]

I just recently stayed at the Korona hotel near Boryspil Airport. Very comfortable brand new rooms with free in- room WI-FI, free breakfast, and the staff seemed very polite and helpful. All this for just $55.00 per night. They even have shuttle service to and from the airport for just $9.00!!! I highly recommend staying there if you need a place to stay for the night while waiting for your next day flight!

JayH recommended the Korona also.

The Hotel Opera in Lviv is wonderful.  Paid $ 150 a night thru priceline.com
http://hotel-opera.com.ua/

Here is my review of it on TripAdvsor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g295377-d616515-r149443263-Hotel_Opera-Lviv_Lviv_Oblast.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

As far as LA being the worst places for hotels, I believe it.  Although I did enjoy this place:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1135

Alibi:
I am curious to know how Kiev rates against Moscow to those who have been to both.  Thanks again.

[jone]

Moscow is more expensive the Kyiv.

My favorite there is the Swiss Hotel on Kremlin island.  Modern, new, and with Swiss service. But even more pricey than the one we just discussed.

[Daveman]

As long as we're on the topic of hotels, the Opera has a sister hotel in Donetsk.  It is called the Donbass.  I hear it is also remarkable.  Has anyone stayed there?  I was hoping to make a side trip down there next visit.
...

Haven't stayed there but have eaten there a few times and was given a brief tour.  Yes, it's remarkable. Not for the budget minded traveler (or diner) but a seriously nice place.   

[cc3]

I just recently stayed at the Korona hotel near Boryspil Airport. Very comfortable brand new rooms with free in- room WI-FI, free breakfast, and the staff seemed very polite and helpful. All this for just $55.00 per night. They even have shuttle service to and from the airport for just $9.00!!! I highly recommend staying there if you need a place to stay for the night while waiting for your next day flight!

Concur. OK breakfast in the morning. Best coffee I have ever had in UA! 

[Shadow]

Moscow is more expensive the Kyiv.

My favorite there is the Swiss Hotel on Kremlin island.  Modern, new, and with Swiss service. But even more pricey than the one we just discussed.

Moscow is more expensive, but also has a much larger 'feel' to it. The centre of Kiev seemed to be walkable, Moscow always needed some public transport, taking a sub outside rush hours is pretty easy though.

For the more budget minded I can recomment the Novotel, which offered a decent room.

Another hotel we used is now the Radisson Royal hotel. Hopefully they did some renovating as the elevators were quite old,  but the interior and hotel had a 'soviet' style. Uncluding a nuclear heating that forced us to sleep with a window open. In January with an outside temperature of -25C the room did not even get cold with an open window....

[mendeleyev]

Shadow, the Radisson Royal-Moscow is the old Soviet Ukraina (Ukraine) Hotel. For years is was a hotel on several floors and regular living apartments on the remaining floors. I think you'd be impressed at how Radisson has transformed the place: http://www.visualhotels.com/ukraina/

It was one of the "Seven Sisters" which were Stalin's skyscrapers, many Russians referred to them as the "wedding cake" buildings because of their designs at the top. Stalin had been jealous that other countries had tall buildings but for centuries no building was allowed to be constructed taller than the Tsar Ivan the Great Bell tower in the Kremlin. Stalin built 7 almost identical tall buildings including this one, the main building at Moscow Statue University, the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and the Foreign Ministry headquarters are among the others. The Moscow Leningradskaya Hotel was of the "seven sisters" and is now a Hilton Hotel which has returned the structure to it's former glory after extensive restoration.

[Shadow]

Shadow, the Radisson Royal-Moscow is the old Soviet Ukraina (Ukraine) Hotel. For years is was a hotel on several floors and regular living apartments on the remaining floors. I think you'd be impressed at how Radisson has transformed the place: http://www.visualhotels.com/ukraina/

To be honest the place was already impressive if you had an eye for it.
Sure it showed many signs of not being taken care of for about 20 years, but at the same time the splendor that Radisson now emphasizes was already present.

Probably now hidden again, the galleries above the dining and breakfast halls where the KGB could observe were an interesting feature. Also still at that time a lot of staff was on the list of the FSB.

It was interesting to view the local fauna at the bar, with some interaction to the staff before and after they were making a tour of some rooms.
Both MrsShadow and me are good observers, and this meant we had a lot of fun looking.

[mendeleyev]

Personally I wouldn't rate Kyiv in the bottom 10. http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Kiev,Ukraine-c15139-3stars

History: there wasn't a lot of foreign tourism during the Soviet period and except for a handful of hotels for visiting diplomats and the occasional foreign business traveler, hotel space simply wasn't in high demand. Immediately after the breakup of the CCCP there was chaos in the financial system with even lower demand and certainly very few investors willing to build in such a climate.

Today: there is growing demand for additional rooms but land prices have skyrocketed, meaning high room rates once a hotel is constructed. However continued corruption keeps some hotel investors on the sidelines as there are legitimate fears of being saddled with unwanted "partners" once construction is completed.

Future: eventually we'll see the growth of mid-level hotels/motels emerge across the CIS countries but greater market demand must be there first. It will likely happen first in Moscow and Saint Petersburg because of greater numbers of tourists, but Kyiv is a beautiful and historic city and such growth will follow at some point. For now however the worldwide economy doesn't encourage great infusions of that type of capital investments and so those among us who travel to the FSU will likely continue to rely on apartment rentals in the foreseeable future.

[lordtiberius]

Sir!  If Kyiv is not at the bottom, then where is the bottom?  Is it Minsk?  (jk) no seriously, where is the bottom on your list and where does Kiev rate.  Where are the best hotels in Kiev?

[cobra]

Kiev is not known for having great hotels for a low price.  They have made a lot of progress from 10 years ago but you either have very high end hotels (InterContinental) that are expensive to most travellers who companies do not pay for it.

For the business traveller whose company reimburses them Kiev is setup nicely for hotels.  For the foreign traveller on a wife hunt whose paying on his dime it can be very expensive to have a nice hotel.  That is why so many people go the rent apartment way.

[Anotherkiwi]

Kiev is not known for having great hotels for a low price.  They have made a lot of progress from 10 years ago but you either have very high end hotels (InterContinental) that are expensive to most travellers who companies do not pay for it.

For the business traveller whose company reimburses them Kiev is setup nicely for hotels.  For the foreign traveller on a wife hunt whose paying on his dime it can be very expensive to have a nice hotel.  That is why so many people go the rent apartment way.

Agreed.
 
For me, hotels are very hit or miss.  I've used both them and apartments in Russia, but only apartments in Ukraine, and apartments win hands down every time.  Apart from the issue of price (they are way cheaper, whatever standard of luxury you're looking for), you can come and go as you please, cook as much or as little as you want of what you want, do your laundry, blob out in front of TV or whatever (with or without the woman/women you have come to visit)...all in a space that may be anything up to ten times the size of a hotel room.  You will also not get knocks on your door from young "ladies" wearing a lot of makeup and very few clothes  .  Sound-proofing is also probably somewhat better.
 
Hotel restaurant food, while presumably appetising for the most part, does not necessarily suit my tastebuds, as I'm not the easiest person to cater for.  It therefore makes sense for me to do a lot of my own cooking while I'm overseas, and it's easy enough for me to find foods which will agree with me, even in places like China and India.  Russia was the proverbial piece of cake  .