On a whole the staff in this hotel were incredibly rude and unhelpfull.

The building is quite grand and simply magnificent. We stayed in a cheap room and it was shabby but had a lot of character. The breakfast and room service were quite good. ATMs in the lobby are convenient and it's easy to book a taxi at the reception desk. There's a metro stop nearby, so it's quite convenient.

For my first visit to Russia, I didn’t want to stay in a hotel that looked like one in the U.S. The Ukraina did not disappoint. It was not luxurious, but I was not lacking for anything and the architecture and decor was definitely throwback Soviet.

Upon arrival, I was faced with a ton of stairs leading into the hotel. There was no such thing as a doorman, so getting my heavy bags up all those stairs was daunting. I did not see any wheelchair access.

The lobby itself was quite stunning, with elaborate gold-based decor and mural ceilings. The front desk was down a few stairs, but there were steep ramps on either side that I could use to bring my luggage down. This meant moving two bags a few feet and then bringing the third and then repeating the whole series until I arrived at the front desk. The staff spoke English, although not perfectly, but enough to make check-in easy.

There was no one to assist in getting my bags to my room, so I went up the stairs with three bags and across the lobby to the guest room elevators. Carts, or anything like that, were not available.

The guest room floors had video cameras and the rooms had electronic keys.

A short hallway led into the main area complete with wood floors, coat hooks, and a dorm size refrigerator. The temperature was always comfortable. I was unable to open the giant window, as the frame had been painted shut. There were two twin beds with modest bedding that were comfortable but basic, nightstands, a desk, and a small TV. Two closets were next to each other with drawers, hangers, and a small safe. The furnishing looked like garage sale hand-me-downs, even though I was told this was one of the remodeled rooms. The telephone made room-to-room calls for free, but any other service had to be activated down in the lobby.

The bathroom tub was incredibly deep, mid-thigh if I stood next to it in bare feet (I’m 5’6"). Standard toilet and sink, with a few amenities like soap and a shower cap in souvenir packaging.

The Business Center offered high speed internet and printers with half hour usage, payable in cash Rubles. There was a gift shop/pharmacy down in the lobby. A pamphlet rack had every possible site to see and maps of the Metro station.

Breakfast was in a large restaurant off the lobby, buffet style, with a little bit of everything. Seating was throughout two rooms and you sat anywhere you wanted, frequently with strangers.

The nearest Metro stop (Kievskaya) was about a 15- to 20-minute walk.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in a safe, comfortable, and unique setting that isn’t like the major chain hotels in the United States. River view rooms are more expensive than others, but opening my curtains in the morning and seeing the Russian White House was priceless.