Hotelʹ Podil Plaza — Hotel in Kyiv

Useless hotel. I am describing my experience below. Last month I traveled to Kiev for business work and on the recommendation of office guy, I booked in this hotel. Before landing I made a request to get a quiet room away from main road, as in one of the previous reviews I read that main road can be quite noisy.

On arriving to the hotel, I was asked to pay in full, which I did, and then i was directed to the room. To my dismay the room was directly on the main road and that means noise is going to be there.

The room was small compared to the price I paid, but since i had no option now, I decided to settle in. After about 30 minutes of checking I realized the air-con is not working and it is only emitting plain air (and not cool air). On checking with the reception i was told in rude voice that aircon is not working and will be repaired tomorrow. Then how am I suppose to sleep in the night ? The receptionist guy told me to keep window open !!!

I said are you kidding , you charge me 150 bucks, the room is on main road and for this price I am suppose to sleep with window open ??

That time i remembered having read about this hotel in previous comments that aircon is not normally working.

But the real problem was - I had paid in full in cash. So I had to create some drama at the reception to get the refund and then happily shifted to anther hotel nearby.

So avoid this hotel at any cost, and one more rule - when in Kiev never pay full, pay only first night charges and once all is ok pay rest of the amount. If receptionist insist tell him /her that you will get cash tomorrow from...

I am writing this review from my experience during my last stay at this hotel and as a professional hotelier. I don't think it is a 4* hotel.

Pros: great location. As I am from Kyiv I can confirm the location is very central with walking distance to many of the main attractions. breakfast was fine. Not a huge choice of food, but it is fulfilling.

Cons: -staff. Most of them don't speak English fluently enough to provide information and explain things. The lady, who checked us in was good, but not very informative. check in. Following previous point. Not informative as I've been with my partner and he is a foreigner, and I've expected reception to give some more details as well for him. room. The size is fine. But it was facing the street and was VERY-VERY noisy for me, as the tram is in a couple of meters from entrance. I could feel vibrations as well when it was passing by. So I couldn't sleep properly. Shower doors were broken. Room generally wasn't very clean. A/C didn't work. Safety box didn't work. Minibar fridge didn't work. amenities. Shower amenities were fine, but no additional water provided (you'll find 2 bottles of water upon arrival as welcome drink, that's it). safety. We came in the evening - no receptionist on spot, only cleaning lady. We came in the morning to check out - still no receptionist. There is no double lock in the room. I didn't feel safe with this situation.

Generally, I would say the quality doesn't...

I stayed here for four nights in May and I was really pleased with my choice.||||The hotel is excellently located in the historic Podil district and is very well served by public transport. I arrived at Boryspil airport and took the airport express [40mins, £2.50] to Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi station. From there I transferred to the metro [Vokzalna], travelled three stops to Khreshchatyk/Maidan Nezalezhnosti [Line 2] and then two more stops to Kontraktova Ploshcha [25p] which is a two minute walk from the hotel. Kontraktova Ploscha is a transport interchange and during my trip I was able to get to all the main sights by public transport for only 25p per journey.||||The hotel itself is in a beautifully restored late-nineteenth century building. The room was well-appointed, clean and tidy. The restaurant served a decent breakfast each morning. I had a room at the front of the hotel which I liked but some people may be disturbed by the sound of trams rattling past early in the morning and late at night. It didn’t bother me and, if it would bother you, I’d suggest you just ask for a room at the back. ||||There are numerous bars and restaurants nearby [including the superb Kanapa] and the hotel is a five minute walk from the bottom of the historic Andriivs’kyi Descent. There is also a supermarket on the far side of Kontraktova Ploshcha. ||||I would definitely stay here again if...