Please note, I can speak Russian so my review is from this perspective.

The hotel is unquestionably a Soviet-era hotel updated to the 21st century in a Belarussian way, which gives the hotel a certain character. If you don't like going from city to city and staying in the same hotel, i.e. Ibis, Holiday Inn, etc, then the Sputnik is the ideal choice.

The reception staff were polite, friendly and offerred good advice on the city. I even received a lift from one of the staff's partner to the airport when leaving at 4am!!!

The restaurant leaves a lot to be desired. The previous review on the breakfast is 100% accurate, the selection of food available stretches the imagination and is of very poor quality. I'd recommend to avoid the restaurant for lunch and dinner too. The 24hr cafe offers some tasty rolls with cheese, ham or fish (salmon). They also have very inefficient fridges, so the beer is often mildly cold. At least the beer in my room was efficient :-)

The cleanliness of the hotel was top notch. I sometimes found the cleaners to be a bit too keen and did more than I'd have expected. I stayed in the hotel for 10 days, so didn't want the room cleaned everyday. The cleaners speak some English.

TV channels in the hotel are local Belarussian, German TV channels DMAX and RTE, with English channels FashionTV and CNBC.

I like the location of the hotel with close proximity to the bus #100 and a couple of supermarkets nearby (5 min walk directly across from the hotel).

Overall a good hotel in Minsk which made me feel welcome and will definitely be back to stay there.

This hotel is sited in a late-Soviet building that was recently upgraded, both inside and outside, but still retains some gloominess of furnishings and service. The best thing is probably the location, 10 min walk from Institut Kul'tury subway station or a short ride with bus 100 from the city center.

Although the rooms and service are generally OK, there are many small things that remind of earlier times. That's typical for Belarus, which is in general a quaint country. However, in this particular hotel traces of the past are somewhat annoying and spoil the impression. Unfriendly ladies at the reception who have apparent problems with foreign languages (at least some of them), the stupid procedure of room check at check-out, tatty doors with insecure and hard-to-use locks. The rooms are fine albeit old-fashioned. Amenities conform to the declared 3-star status: fridge, TV, soap, shampoo, and shoe brush - everything is there. Wi-Fi internet is provided by byfly. Although charged, it is very cheap and costs about 50 cents per hour. Access cards are sold at the reception (same login and password are valid for many other byfly hot-spots around the city).

The worst thing in Sputnik is its breakfast, which is as ridiculous as it could be. Hot dishes (sausages, fried bacon and even fried fish) are accompanied by fatty starters (like eggs in mayonnaise), a bit of cheese and vegetables, and milk with one type of cornflakes. Juice is non-existent (some strange disgusting drink is offered instead), bad Nescafe as coffee, and few unappealing pastries that run out pretty fast. Although it is possible to get a bite here, you will have to go out for normal coffee and decent morning meal.

Overall, Sputnik is neither comfortable enough to justify its price of >50€ for a double, nor sufficiently old-style to be a nostalgic experience.