Otel' Astrus — Hotel in Troparyovo-Nikulino

This is a former Soviet-style hotel: the rooms have been upgraded, but the location and the service still remind you of the Cold War.||||In the bad old days, international visitors were placed in a deliberately remote location: far out to the South-West, 15 minutes walk away from the nearest metro station. The location is still remote, though the recently re-organised system of buses (with many new vehicles) helps if you are brave enough to investigate routes and timetables. Taxis are now cheap, with a choice of Uber-look-alikes the best option. If you ask the hotel to book a cab for you, you'll end up paying over the odds.||||There is no gym, but there is an excellent and modestly-priced sports centre next door.||||Rooms are adequate. Breakfast tends towards spartan, but a friendly Russian granny will make you a fresh omlette (just smile and point). Breakfast-room coffee is unspeakably bad, from a machine: go to a nearby Shockaladnitza for decent coffee and modern Russian service.||||Ah, service. I don't think the Astrus staff have any clue of such concepts as "client", or "service". Their attitude is old-fashioned and authoritarian: "we make the rules, you obey us". Their system for managing bookings and payments is inefficient, but even when they make a mistake, you won't get an apology. Sometimes, after you've been forced to pay twice for something, and they've admitted their error, you still can't get a refund of the second payment! ||||The attitude of "don't worry, dear guest, we'll sort this out for you in a few minutes, meanwhile you just carry on" is conspicuously lacking. The Astrus version is "You have failed. Wait here until we inform you how we will punish you".||||There is a super Chinese restaurant on the top floor and an equally tasty (but very different) Uzbek restaurant just around the corner, in the same building. There's a handy supermarket ("Product shop" ) behind the hotel and a nice park just past the gym, where it's safe to walk or jog amongst chatting local citizens, playing children and happy dogs. ||||The piano in the hotel reception was last tuned by Joseph Stalin, whose grandfather still plays saxophone in the Uzbek restaurant. So for good music, go to Theatre Sats opera-house; for entertainment to the Grand Circus (both just 2 metro stops away at Metro Universitet). ||||Eat in the restaurants, go to the gym, walk in the park, but don't stay in this hotel unless you want to relive the Cold War with the staff playing the role of...

The elevators were very fast. The front desk staff was very indifferent. Was only lucky with checkin and checkout ladies. All others seemed to be extremely indifferent and not willing to help. Also, you should know that the room you pay for is not actually yours - you can have no visitor (even if that's your wife), or you should register your guest and ask to leave at 11pm. It is as if you were living at your aunt's house who always watches you and controls your actions. One good thing to say - the housekeeping supervisor, don't know her name unfortunately. The only helpful lady. In the morning before leaving the hotel I asked to clean the room twice at the reception and informed that in couple of hours I'll extremely need a clean room, as my roommate was to come after a surgery and needed rest in a clean room. As you could guess, 30 mins before returning the room was not ready. Good I called the hotel asked again they told me it is in the queue (very rude and with kind of "there are rules" and you are a little person to tell us how to work intonation). And the housekeeping supervisor was the only one who understood the situation about the surgery and was willing to help. Thank you to her! Another stupid situation happened when I ordered a delivery - when the delivery arrived I was in the hospital, and asked the courier to leave the package at the reception under my name and room number...and you know what - they said you cannot leave anything for the guest... I was just very disappointed, and had to pay the courier extra ,so that he drove the extra miles to the hospital. And when I came back to the hotel and asked for some explanation, they just refused to accept that situation ever happened- so I should just accept that I'm a liar or just had a bad dream and it was not reality. This is unacceptable, don't work with people! Overall, a bad experience. Hotel should be a place where one can relax and feel comfortable, but never being controlled by indifferent...

The elevators were very fast. The front desk staff was very indifferent. Was only lucky with checkin and checkout ladies. All others seemed to be extremely indifferent and not willing to help. Also, you should know that the room you pay for is not actually yours - you can have no visitor (even if that's your wife), or you should register your guest and ask to leave at 11pm. It is as if you were living at your aunt's house who always watches you and controls your actions. One good thing to say - the housekeeping supervisor, don't know her name unfortunately. The only helpful lady. In the morning before leaving the hotel I asked to clean the room twice at the reception and informed that in couple of hours I'll extremely need a clean room, as my roommate was to come after a surgery and needed rest in a clean room. As you could guess, 30 mins before returning the room was not ready. Good I called the hotel asked again they told me it is in the queue (very rude and with kind of "there are rules" and you are a little person to tell us how to work intonation). And the housekeeping supervisor was the only one who understood the situation about the surgery and was willing to help. Thank you to her! Another stupid situation happened when I ordered a delivery - when the delivery arrived I was in the hospital, and asked the courier to leave the package at the reception under my name and room number...and you know what - they said you cannot leave anything for the guest... I was just very disappointed, and had to pay the courier extra ,so that he drove the extra miles to the hospital. And when I came back to the hotel and asked for some explanation, they just refused to accept that situation ever happened- so I should just accept that I'm a liar or just had a bad dream and it was not reality. This is unacceptable, don't work with people! Overall, a bad experience. Hotel should be a place where one can relax and feel comfortable, but never being controlled by indifferent...