Hotel KOSMOS — Hotel in Alexeyevsky District

This was the first stay at the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow, and will be the last time. Here are the problems that we encounter during only 2 nights stay: As we arrived at 01:00 at night and started our check-in, the clerk at the front desk claimed that we need to pay extra 700rub per night for the extra bed – although I made a reservation for double bed + child bed. After we went to our room, we discovered that the room was a twin room and not double. Only after we came back again to the reception and argue with the clerk – we had our room changed to a double bed. The hotel corridors and rooms were old fashioned and there was an awful smell in the corridors and room. The room was dirty – the sheets were not changed, the bathroom was poorly maintained, and the toilet was poorly located too near to one of the walls – which made sitting on the toilet uncomfortable. The breakfast was very poor and the dining area was very noisy and unpleasant to sit in. in the second day we decide not to eat at the dining area and went to a café place to eat breakfast. One of the reasons we choose this hotel was the fact the it has a swimming pool. But there is a big problem – the swimming pool located far from the lobby – a long walk that cross the hall area of a concert hall. When we went down with our bathrobes and flippers to the lobby going to the swimming pool – we were stopped by security in the entrance to the concert hall – which was our only way to get to the swimming pool area. at first the security officers didn’t allow us to enter and go to the pool, and told us to go from outside (to walk outside at -5 cold and snow with bathrobes and flippers carrying our child!). only after an argument with them – they allowed us to pass. The walk through the concert lobby full with people only wearing bathrobes – was extremely disgraceful. After we reached to the swimming pool – we were informed by the clerk there that swimming cap are obligatory. And if we don’t have – we need to buy. I was never required in any hotel swimming pool to wear a swimming cap, and surely not to buy it. After sitting nearby the pool (because we were not allowed to swim) – our flip-flops from the room were completely torn (they were the thinnest slippers I ever seen) – we went again to the swimming pool clerk and asked for new flip-flops, again, the answer was that we have to pay for getting a new flip-flop. This is a shame for the hotel pool that you need to buy those kind of amenities. When we checked out from the hotel, I demeaned to speak with the manager. I was informed that the manager is not present and I can speak with the “team leader”. I told all those problems to the team leader, and all he had to say is “I am Sorry”....

I did travel to Moscow to visit a trade show and Cosmos being one of the closest hotels to the VDNKh expo area, I booked a room here. Didn't really bother with a background check since it was just two nights. But the stay itself turned out to be a somewhat emotional journey, so here's a short review. ||Lets start with the good things. There are two: ||1. Location - close to the expo area and just a few steps away from the VDNKh subway station. ||2. The view - got the business class room which was on the 24th floor and staring out of the window was pleasing. ||Bad things (or to be fair, it should be called "Things I didn't like")||1. Obsession with security - this is a thing all over Russia where on every step you get this mindless and pointless security checks with beeping gates, emptying the pockets, opening the bags etc-etc. Seems like there was a government program on lowering the unemployment rate in the country and everyone with nothing better to do got to set up a security gate and the right to bother people. ||So to get into Cosmos, you have to get checked at the entrance to the lobby and there's always a guy before the elevators chasing after you and checking the little paper with your room number that comes with the room key. ||2. Service - because of the virus going around, there were no crowds of Asian tourists, so I got to the check in counter quite fast. People handling the check in seemed highly motivated to get the process over with and get rid of you as fast as possible. And that's perfectly fine as long as the person manages to be at least a little bit friendly. Lets put it this way - I was once caught by Russian police for jaywalking and during the 6 hours they held me at the station, I got better and friendlier service. ||3. The room - old, worn and very brown. With an equally brown hallway with burgundy carpets leading to the room you get a strong vibe of HBO's Chernobyl. The bed has springs. You'll feel it immediately. Blanket is a simple wool blanket in a cotton casing. Reminded me of my happy days in a Soviet kindergarten. ||4. Shower - the bathroom was nice and clean. Brown but otherwise OK. Finding a humane water temperature in the shower was challenging. It was either ice cold or scorching hot. After some fine tuning, I managed to find the knob position that produced water which wouldn't kill me. ||5. Breakfast - if you're into bland food in a extremely crowded room, you'll love it. ||||To conclude my long winded review - I guess the hotel is OK if you need a place for a night. And even then, Moscow is a big city and I'd really see if there are other options. If you're into exotic experiences, Cosmos will...

From the moment we arrived, we knew this hotel was going to be crappy. We were the only people waiting at the counter and the three people behind the reception counter ignored us. Finally, one of the people behind the counters began to acknowledge the growing number of people present, but even as we were first, we were overlooked. Once I spoke up and said something, I was acknowledged and we were finally able to check-in, but not after being volleyed between the three people behind the counter.

Unlike other hotels I have stayed at in Russia, Cosmos does not automatically register the visa, which is absolutely necessary if one is a foreigner staying at a place longer than 72-hours. So, we were volleyed to yet another person who didn't say a word. If you don't know about this, and have the visa registered, then you can be barred from entering Russia again.

Security treats their guests as criminals. Take a wrong turn and you will be stopped and questioned as if you meant to do something wrong. They forget that things, such as opening and closing times, are not displayed on many of the cafes within the hotel.

The folks on the 25th floor restaurant were the angels of this place and were very helpful and nice during our stay.

The room had a horrible odor to it and it was nothing like the pictures presented to me during my booking. The decor was dated and the plumbing was barely working properly. The bed had some red stains on the skirt and sheets as if they were not changed before we moved in. The towels had holes in them... the list could go on.

As for location, the hotel is situated quite far from where everything is located. It is close to the metro, which is the only thing this hotel has going for it.

The Sports Bar Terrasa was horrible. I ordered the Ribeye steak, medium well, and was told by the waiter that the steak may be too tough if ordered this way and he recommended medium. How in the world can a medium well ribeye steak be too tough? Well, it wasn't a ribeye. It was some other, very cheap, cut of meat that could not be identified. The dessert was stale and disgusting. The service was horrible--it took us 3-hours to eat because we kept waiting for food and to order. Go to cafe Sacvoyage, also in the hotel, as this cafe was acceptable in all aspects.

I do not recommend this hotel unless you enjoy...