A-Otel' Layner Aeroport Yekaterinburg — Hotel in Yekaterinburg

I chose this hotel because I needed to stay at the Ekaterinburg Airport overnight. The location was very convenient, literally walkable to the terminal while pulling my small carry-on suitcase. The price was a bit higher compared to other 'business hotels' of that level in the countries I have been to. I had stayed in Russian provincial hotels before, and credit must be given to Russia for having come a long way in a relatively short time. This hotel was very clean: the bedding impeccable, and the floors in the rooms and hallways still had the freshness of new quarters. That said, the concepts of customer service still bore some traits of the Soviet era. The staff was definitely less gruff than a decade ago, but there was no display of willingness to be helpful. It was mostly the way things were said, the staff's facial expressions, voice modulations. A couple of examples would perhaps be helpful. When I asked for help with my suitcase (my room was on the second floor, but the elevator did not stop at the second floor, and I have bad wrists, so going up the stairs with my suitcase is not exactly what I want to do while travelling), the receptionist first tried to call a porter, but none responded to her call, so she took the suitcase up for me herself. This was fine, but the way she did it left me with a sense of having asked for something unreasonable, of being a spoiled brat. The information folder in the room was beautifully put together and full of what looked like a very nice variety of services. But when I went to the receptionist to ask where the business office was, she stared at me blankly, saying there was none. I pointed out that I found a reference to it in the information folder in my room, and she curtly replied that the booklet was not updated. Not even an apologetic smile accompanied this abrupt response. Another service item in the folder was the option of having a breakfast bag prepared for guests who must leave before breakfast. As my flight was quite early, I went to the restaurant and asked who do I place an order for a breakfast bag to the next morning. The woman curtly told me that it was impossible. I said again that I found this information in the folder in my room, but she explained that fluid foods like hot cereal or drinks cannot be packed in a bag. Again, not even an apologetic smile or tone of voice. I was left again with a sense of having asked for an outrageous favor and of being a stupid spoiled brat. So, to conclude: while I was glad to find out that hotels of this level in Russia today are clean and can be used safely (as compared to one of the biggest hotels I stayed in 8 years ago in Izhevsk, the capital of one of the republics of Russian Federation, where springs were coming out of the mattress and the telephone rang almost every night looking for sexual services), it was obvious that the service level still leaves a lot to desire. It is the mindset of the staff - and ultimately, the management - where more work still...

I chose this hotel because I needed to stay at the Ekaterinburg Airport overnight. The location was very convenient, literally walkable to the terminal while pulling my small carry-on suitcase. The price was a bit higher compared to other 'business hotels' of that level in the countries I have been to. I had stayed in Russian provincial hotels before, and credit must be given to Russia for having come a long way in a relatively short time. This hotel was very clean: the bedding impeccable, and the floors in the rooms and hallways still had the freshness of new quarters. That said, the concepts of customer service still bore some traits of the Soviet era. The staff was definitely less gruff than a decade ago, but there was no display of willingness to be helpful. It was mostly the way things were said, the staff's facial expressions, voice modulations. A couple of examples would perhaps be helpful. When I asked for help with my suitcase (my room was on the second floor, but the elevator did not stop at the second floor, and I have bad wrists, so going up the stairs with my suitcase is not exactly what I want to do while travelling), the receptionist first tried to call a porter, but none responded to her call, so she took the suitcase up for me herself. This was fine, but the way she did it left me with a sense of having asked for something unreasonable, of being a spoiled brat. The information folder in the room was beautifully put together and full of what looked like a very nice variety of services. But when I went to the receptionist to ask where the business office was, she stared at me blankly, saying there was none. I pointed out that I found a reference to it in the information folder in my room, and she curtly replied that the booklet was not updated. Not even an apologetic smile accompanied this abrupt response. Another service item in the folder was the option of having a breakfast bag prepared for guests who must leave before breakfast. As my flight was quite early, I went to the restaurant and asked who do I place an order for a breakfast bag to the next morning. The woman curtly told me that it was impossible. I said again that I found this information in the folder in my room, but she explained that fluid foods like hot cereal or drinks cannot be packed in a bag. Again, not even an apologetic smile or tone of voice. I was left again with a sense of having asked for an outrageous favor and of being a stupid spoiled brat. So, to conclude: while I was glad to find out that hotels of this level in Russia today are clean and can be used safely (as compared to one of the biggest hotels I stayed in 8 years ago in Izhevsk, the capital of one of the republics of Russian Federation, where springs were coming out of the mattress and the telephone rang almost every night looking for sexual services), it was obvious that the service level still leaves a lot to desire. It is the mindset of the staff - and ultimately, the management - where more work still...

We stayed at this airport hotel for one night, due to having an early flight. We took Bus # 1 from in front of the railway station to the airport. The bus runs at least once an hour, but is a mashrutka, so leaves when the driver is ready. The electric train (Koltsovo Express) is also an option, but it only runs the route twice per day, so is usually not convenient. It may be a little difficult to find the hotel if you are looking for the name "Liner". The name is in red Russian characters," лайнер" at the top of the hotel, and the red sign for the 24 hour cafe (also in Russian) is probably more noticeable.||||The name is also over the entrance to the hotel, but is difficult to see as it is in Russian characters again, and the same colour as the grey background.To the right of the entrance is a red and white sign that has in enlish, "Liner Hotel". Our check in was efficient, and we were happy as we had been in the rain all day and were soaked. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The internet worked well, and despite being beside the airport, we had a good rest. We had a great meal in the cafe which was reasonably priced. The next morning, we arrived for breakfast at 4am, and the front desk had already scheduled it, as it was included in the room rate..||||If you are interested in seeing the attractions of Yekaterinburg, this may not be the most convenient location. We consider it perfect for a short stay.The only negative that we saw, was the...