Лесная Сафмар — Restaurant in Tverskoy District

Location: This is the best part of the hotel. It's within walking distance to several restaurants and late night cafes. ||||The Moscow Depo is across the street and a MUST SEE! It's a very hip and trendy food market with over 50 vendors. All different types of foods, wines, cider, desserts, home made items, and gifts. There is a stage so I'm sure they have live bands play there, and you can just sit there and drink and tase different foods. An even cooler version of Chelsea Market in NYC.||It's not open very late, we went at 9:45pm on a Saturday night and it was closing (seems like it could stay open until 4am and do great business), so make sure you head over there early. Check hours. It is literally across the street (to the left)||||The streets nearby were all lit up and decorated for Christmas and the New Year. It's also near the Belerushka metro station, for easy access.||||||We had just come off stays in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg at very nice hotels, but this Holiday Inn just standard IHG, that needs updating. ||||First, it's an older hotel and it needs to be updated||It's also small. The lobby is small (not that it matters) but the rooms are small.||||The rooms seem clean, but they're not well lit, so you can't really tell.||The rooms also need to be updated, including the bathrooms. Even things like better lighting, and more electric outlets with USB around the room would help the room not show it's age so much.||||Our view was of the office building next door. You can literally se into their offices and they can see into your room. And they work all night. Close your curtains for privacy, but there was no nice view.||||Better lighting in the lobby and hallways would go a long way as well.||||EXECUTIVE LOUNGE||We had lounge access. We've stayed at IHG properties with nicer lounges, however this one has a fridge with water, and some sodas (coke and orange soda). You can make a coffee or have hot tea. At certain times there are a few hot snacks put out, and some fruit. There are breakfast and dinner items put out during those times as well, smaller variety than the restaurant, but they say it's a different selection than what is on the breakfast buffet apparently.||You can sit in the lounge and read or bring down your laptop.||There were a few business men only in the lounge whenever we went.||As with the rest of the property, the lounge is particularly dark and needs updating.||||We had access to the lo the lounge because of my status, but I wouldn't necessarily pay extra to have access to this particular lounge, unlike other lounges around the world which have been much nicer, with a larger selection of food and drinks.||||||Breakfast is standard Holiday Inn, but good.||There is a restaurant off the 1st floor lobby. ||There is a metal detector as you walk in, which seems pretty standard in Russia.||||Check-in was easy, which is always nice.||There's a small gift shop in the lobby, however in our 2 nights there we were never there when it was open.||||We would stay here again, because we are IHG customers and we loved the proximity to the Moscow Depo, but we might look for a more updated modern one...

Simply disappointing. As the elevator is 2004 year of make, the service standards are the same. The place is just not up the the international standard of the group.

Some of the staff are very friendly, but for most part the lack of professionalism is appalling. I do not understand on what basis the hiring is done.

Dogs barking on the top floor of the hotel, people barging into the room randomly. Wishing 10 hours of active occupancy of the room the plumber was called to do a repair of clog or leakage THREE TIMES. The keycard stopped working THREE TIMES within two days, access to facilities was just lost permanently even though was part of the package.

While some gents at the reception speak french pleasantly, other people cannot follow instructions in English OR RUSSIAN. Simply ridiculous.

Management does not review the book of complaints.

The lighting in the room is terrible abs some of the rooms are looking directly into the windows of an office building so no matter what floor you are on, you will be observed from 3-5 meters away on your level unless curtains are fully closed.

Unfortunately I didn’t get the access to revisit and capture the lovely executive lounge which seemed like a place for executions rather than executives. Broken clothes iron, non operational safe and much more to continue the list...

The lights are at maximum in the photos, there are no spotlights or ceiling lights of any sort.

Four drunk people are permitted to check in into the same hotel room and cause a havoc in the lobby with no reaction...

For those who like tourist hotels with overcrowded lobbies in the morning and hundreds of everything other than English speaking 60+ ys tourists, trying to find their blue/green/red group and to secure the best place in one of several waiting buses, lined up in front of the door, that's the place to be.

Breakfast as such is ok, but the service is below expectation with servants rushing between tables, which stand to close to each other, while balancing their trays. You need to find out the best time when places are not yet fully occupied by tourist groups.

Because of this I assume, there is a big mistrust of hotel management towards their guests. If you miss to provide a deposit while checking in, there is no way to get a gently wanted sparkling water during night hours from the electronically locked mini bar.

Why to go there? Well, the hotel is very conveniently located at Belorusskaya Metro station from where you can catch the aeroexpress to Sheremetevo airport or the main railway station after only three...