Street Address: Michurinsky Prospect 8/29 - Moscow, Russia

Location: Fair.

Staff Speaks English? No.

Would I Stay Here? No.

  This One Has My Vote For "Worst Odor In A Moscow Hotel Lobby's Men's Room."
 

There were a lot of problems here. First, the attitude of the administrator was terrible. After giving our spiel and asking to see the rooms, she said (in Russian): "What for? Why? Why? Why should I show you the rooms?" When we explained in further detail, she said we had arrived at a busy time. My assistant told her I had no time to come back. The administrator said that was my problem. My assistant then asked if this hotel served tourists. The administrator said yes. And my assistant angrily said,

"Is this how you treat all of your tourists?"

Oh, we got results. Somebody was assigned the task of showing us the rooms. Our hotel guide introduced us to a room saying that this was one of their best:

What I saw:

1. A hair in the toilet.

2. Mold in some areas on the bathroom tile.

3. Paint peeling off the bathroom ceiling.

Then we saw a "superior standard" room with hardwood floors. The carpet next to the bed had not been vacuumed in a long time. Yuck.

Previously this hotel belonged to a university. Then it belonged to the mafia. And then it was bought by the Orthodox church. However, the mafia still owns the casino which is connected to the hotel (worker told us all of this).

On the bottom floor, you can tell easily that this is an old hotel. I checked the men's room in the lobby area. That is the worst bathroom I have ever smelled in Russia. It was awful to take a whiff of that. I almost died in there!

Room rates are currently 650 to 2500 rubles. (as of 3/35/2004). The hotel has about 400 rooms. Their brochure makes the place look great. Reality is much different. Their photographer is a master at deception. Heed my advice: Stay away.

Hotel Uzkoe     K     +7 (095) 427-3611

Street Address: Litovskiy Boulevard, 3a - Moscow, Russia

Location: Very Poor.

Nearest Metro: Yasenevo. You'll need a taxi to take you to the nearest metro.

Staff Speaks English? No.

Would I Stay Here? If I was desperate, only in the renovated section.

* You Need A Driver To Get Here. I Hate The Location *

We hired a driver to get here and we definitely needed a driver. I was surprised we had to travel so far down this narrow, barren road. I pay the driver 50 rubles for the ride and he leaves us. I walk inside - ug! The lobby is dark, old and poorly lit. My assistant and I approach the front desk. The front desk queen says they cannot show us the rooms because they are all occupied (hmm... where have I heard that before?). So I ask if it is okay if I can walk the corridors so that I can get an idea of the quality of the hotel. My first item of interest was the hotel's restaurant. It was dinner time and not a soul was in the restaurant. I walked passed large halls. Nobody is in sight. Down the corridors leading to the rooms, I see nobody. This giant hotel is a ghost town! How can all the rooms be occupied?

Okay, so I got to see some rooms. Standard rooms are clean, but basic and old, and sort of crappy in a depressing kind of way. The hotel is huge! I walked far and then - oh my - a brand new section with a nice hallway, although the ambience was also a little depressing. I can say that there is a huge difference between the old section and the renovated section and the new rooms are much nicer.

Overall, I am not impressed. The location is terrible. It's isolated, and far from a metro and nowhere near the center of the city. The hotel is old. And they don't have people that "go the extra mile" it seems.

Pricing ranges between $30 to $60 for old rooms and $55 to $150 for new rooms. Taxes are included, (as of March 24, 2004).

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