As a seasoned professional working in travel business for last ten years, I want to share my experience and knowledge with travelers coming to the capital of Ukraine. Whether you are new to Ukrainian customs and traditions or have visited Kiev a few times, I am sure my notes will be of use to anyone.

Location

Kiev is a large mega polis with more than three million inhabitants, so please pay due attention to the location of your hotel. Otherwise you will spend large part of your day hiring a taxi and standing in traffic jams. Main business activity and sightseeing are on the right bank of Dnipro river, and some hotels like Slavutich and Bratislava are on the left bank. If you are lured by their advertisements and stay in one of those, be prepared to spend hours in traffic on bridges that are scarce in number.

Best of Kiev Hotels

There are a few top-notch hotels that I can easily enlist here. They are definitely Premier Palace, Hyatt, Radisson, Opera, and Riviera. There are a couple more that will open soon. Those are Western-style hotels that you can trust and expect high-level service.

Mid-range Hotels

For business matters you can definitely use Hotel Rus, President Hotel or Lybid. They are renovated hotels that have a history back to the USSR, yet they have decent location and service.

Rates

With Kiev you will never get good rates. As competition is low, and real estate is expensive (little less so during financial crisis, yet the prices are higher than clouds). So with five star hotels the normal rate is three or four hundred US Dollars a night for a single room. Mid range hotels offer singles at one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars a night, and low-budget are sixty to one hundred.

Seasons

Kiev is a city that people visit around the year. So there are hardly any high and low seasons. Some hotels decrease rates in July, August and January, others raise prices during exhibition periods in October and November.

Service

Mostly service is poorer than you expect, so you would rather check reviews of other tourists on popular travel websites.

Dangers

There is almost nothing to worry about if you keep to basic rules of safety. Do not expose your money in public places. Do not walk alone in suburbs after midnight. Keep your documents with you in case police stops you. Never take anything from the ground, especially wallets and money. Never stop if a stranger tries to talk to you.

Conclusion

Despite a few disadvantages, you will enjoy staying in one of Kiev hotels if you know what you want and what you are paying for. Have fun!