Kyiv Hotels

If you want to have service in Kiev, you have to pay a lot, that is an unspoken motto of most Kiev hospitality business units. High quality hotels in Kiev are scarce, and expensive, to say the least. What do you think about half a grand for a night in a standard room. That is normal for a Premier Palace, the first five-star hotel in a renovated building at the corner of Pushkinskaya and Khmelnitskogo. This district is so busy with cars in the rush hours (and often during the workdays all the week long) that you dream of a helicopter. Well, but the roof has a nice restarant and command a picturesque panorama over the city center.
Hyatt is a grand edifice with mirrored surface on the Khmelnitskogo square, opposite Sofia Cathedral. It is a modern hotels that some guests find unrivalled among five-stars. Other may disagree with an opening of Intercontinental Hotel, with its classic luxury style, right across the Velyka Zhitomirska street.
We can also mention Opera hotel, a favorite place of diplomats and ambassadors as well as sport delegations, also labelled five star. Radisson SAS, though rich and stylish, got a few bad reviews on the Tripadvisor lately thanks to a mediocre service.
There are decent hotels from Soviet times that improved after renovations, such as Hotel Rus, President Hotel and Dnipro. You get a clean room and smiling staff for a little above a hundred a night for a standard, breakfast included.
Riviera Boutique Hotel and Podol Plaza are private smaller hotels of choice in the area of downhill Podil, with two minutes walking to Dnipro river excursions on a boat, and funicular that can bring you uphill to the old town.
As an alternative, you can rent an apartment for a few nights, and live very comfortably and privately, but with little or no service. But many travellers nowadays prefer this cheaper luxury of privacy to expensive gaudy hotels.
It is your right to choose.

This is a new classy hotel located at the very center of Kiev, next to landmark Orthodox Churches Sofiysky Cathedral, Mykhailivky Gold Domed Cathedral  and Andriivska Church. The Intercontinental Hotel in Kiev offers you a high-end experience. With the shortage of decent four- or five-star hotels in Kiev, you can rely upon a few that really stand out, Intercontinental and Hyatt, as well as Opera Hotel and Premier Palace. The location of this hotel is outstanding, and if you are into a classic style, it is a beauty as far as building and decor are concerned. The lobby is inviting and comfortable, with separate check-in area.

Intercontinental Hotel Kiev

The Intercontinental Hotel has some priviledges for its Priority Club Elite members. Each room is equipped with a minibar that is included in the rate and is free from extra charge.

WiFi Internet  is free for all the guests, unlike many other hotels in Kiev, even top-level. Rooms are large, brand new and very clean, the decor is of classic style, not modern or contemporary.  Laundry service is of top quality, though very expensive, you can pay a few hundred bucks for your day set of clothes easily.

The beds in the rooms are higher than some guests expect, they are made according to US standards. These beds are so comfortable that it is difficult to get out of them in the morning. Everything is done with taste.  Bathrooms are made of chrome and marble, with Azzarro toiletries. A free morning newspaper is delivered to your room. Rooms have Pay Per View and Premium TV.

A gym seems a little smaller than you would expect of this type of a hotel. There are only 2 treadmills that are usually occupied. Overall spa offers fantastic services that are a little cheaper than those of a nearby Hyatt Hotel.

Intercontinental Hotel Kiev SPA

Staff is friendly and generally speaks good English which is a definite advantage in a city where Russian and Ukrainian are native languages. Everybody, from concierge to receptionists and management workers, is very helpful and enthusiastic about your requests and wishes.

Intercontinental Hotel Kiev Restaurants

Restaurant in this hotel is quite expensive, as much as 200-250 US Dollars can be easily spent for a dinner for two people. You can have a great brunch on Sunday, but still it is not that cheap as well, with 80 USD per person including drinks. The food is really great, but quite expensive if your budget is somewhat limited. Breakfast buffet is delicious.

General

The Hotel Rus is a well-established hotel with decent prices and amiable atmosphere. Management and even ownership of this hotel changed three or four times in last few years, so the style is changing a little, yet the general impression is good. I myself (Alex Radich) was working in this hotel from 1998 to 2003, and saw a lot of good and bad situations, yet I can definitely recommend it for visitors with limited budget. The location is great, and it is located on a hill commanding a great panoramic view, and there are plenty of amenities, restaurants, etc. inside. To tell you the truth, my wedding was held in the Conference Hall of this hotel in 2000.

Amenities And Rooms

Rooms are small, about 17 sq.m, and as of last year, TV sets were primitive, yet the place is clean and well kept, and personnel is trained and polite, so for business people can be a good choice.

Services

Business center on the first floor, a whole bunch of taxi drivers in front, and three restaurants plus a couple of bars.

Location

The location is very central, with about 15 minutes walking to the main street. It is near Olympic stadium, so the hotel was always populated by football fans whenever Dynamo Kiev or national team played international games, and Eurovision 2005 was held next door in Palace of Sports. Maybe you will like the fact that Kiev Synagogue is only one block away.

Rates

The rates are a little above 100 USD per night per single. There a few suites, and some premium rooms, too.

Miscellaneous

Many celebrities stayed in this hotel, as it was one of the most official places for different meetings in Soviet Union, so even US Secretary Ms Albright lived in one of its rooms, and Scorpions famous rock musicians, I saw them with my own eyes.