My experience of the hotel is no more than one day and one night but the overall impression is positive. The room was clean, the reception staff polite, breakfast OK and the location best you can get in Kiev (in the corner of the Independent Square). Yes, there is a hint of old Soviet days in the looks of the hotel and rooms but it gives the place a special spice. I have never understood what sense there is in traveling in foreign countries and staying always in western standard nice but expensive and boring hotels.

i have stayed in Kozatsky in the past and have written a previous negative review. I could not believe the positive changes which have taken place - the hotel has been redecorated in places, the dining room has been improved, the room i had was refurbished including 2 double beds in place of twin single beds. The biggest change was in the staff - they were friendly, willing to help and when possible did small extras which were thoughtful and appreciated.
The location is excellent. There is much security within the hotel. rooms in hotel are clean. The main downside is that the rooms can be very hot and noisy (due to location). Food for breakfast is not great.However, people have to remember this is a great value hotel in a location which is totally central and price reflects the standard.

Yes, I would recommend this hotel.. to backpackers, to people who just looov the 70s and to friends who do not want to spend hundreds of euros on hotels. This hotel is sooooo funny. The lobby is huge, with peroxide blond ladies hand-writing little breakfast vouchers and sleeping security guys (or many friends of security guys.. there are so many of them!!!).

The rooms are really spartan. Our roum had brand new beds and mattresses, but the time capsule trip started after entering the bathroom. Spartan is the best way to describe it. Old, walls peeling off, no glory if you're the cleaner, perhaps you can eat off the floor but it'll never ever ever look clean.

You pick up your key at the floor lady (some left over from the communist era??). Also handy if you run out of toilet paper. Don't try to ask for tourist information. Their English is about as bad as my Ukrainan.

Final verdics? Great location, acceptable rooms, excellent price/value. And Kieve is lovely!!!

Very run down hotel - a state enterprise in the old Soviet style, and it shows.
The hotel dishonoured our February booking made through Expedia. Although the manager was very apologetic and clearly embarassed, it took more than 1.5 hours to agree a new room rate and check in.
Rooms were barely adequate, but the bathrooms were disgusting - filthy shower curtain, tiles, and bath, and no bath plug. The water for both bath and basin came from a single outlet that swivelled between them. The shower was just a small head on a rubber hose. The bath when full of water (with plug improvised from a cake of hotel soap) was brown in colour.
Breakfast was presumably the leftovers from last night's dinner - there was no normal breakfast food. No fruit juice or fresh fruit on most days, and the bread was usually stale.
The only good thing about the hotel was its excellent location.