I am a Canadian and I have travelled most of the globe, have stayed at many hotels. After reading some negative reviews, I decided to take a chance on the Rizhskaya Hotel anyway.
Well, was I pleasantly surprised. I got a great room overlooking the park and the statue of Olga (founder of Pskov). The room was neat and clean as any 3 star western hotel. It was great to have a service-lady(security) at the entrance of my floor,she gave me comfort since I kept expensive camera gear in my room. The staff was very helpful and polite. My laundry was done in hours. The food in the restaurant was very good, especially the sudak (walleye fish). I forgot to mention that I speak a bit of Russian which probably helped me to communicate with the hotel staff.
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We were in Russia on a church-sponsored exchange. The hotel had comfortable if simple accomodations. There was hot water in the shower and the toilets flushed each and every time. The television was spotty at best, but I don't speak Russian, either, so it was no great loss! It's the old Intourist property in Pskov. There is a neat park directly in front of the building and it was fun to watch people wandering around and families playing in the square. The hotel food was filling. Note that there doesn't seem to be a lot of extra cutlery or coffee cups, so be sure to keep them at your place until you're done.

There was a little shop in the lobby that had luxuries like chocolates and cigarettes, toiletries and whatnot. Within a block, across the street on the Prospect, closer to the university, is a grocery store and an internet cafe is another couple of buildings down. I think we paid 50PP for 30 minutes' access.

Be sure to get out of town and head over by Petchory to see the monastery there. The roads are tough, but it's worth the journey.

Inexpensive meals can be had at the cafeteria by the University square. There's a 31 Flavors ice cream stand there as well, just beside the Kremlin.

In short, you're not in a western European city--Pskov is the administrative capital of the Oblast, with approximately 200,000 people. It's a fascinating place and the central market is a lot of fun to visit.

Reminder to western Europeans and North Americans: do not drink or brush teeth with the tap water.

Not fancy, but it was fine.

The staff were rude, insolent and clearly had better things to be worrying about than customer service. If you can't speak any Russian then I would strongly advise against staying here.

We were forced to pay an additional booking fee for making a telephone booking which was not explained in advance but clearly delighted the receptionist. There is no baggage storage facility.

The room was cold and drafty and the beds uncomfortable. The room looked out onto a dumping ground where unwanted furniture formed a huge pile.

On the plus side, it's quite cheap and a short walk to the Kremlin.

The attached hotel is over-priced but serves reasonable food.

No one should expect luxury at the Rizhskaya, but if you want to experience NW Russia and the culture it is a great place to stay. The rooms are clean and comfortable but not fancy. Get a deluxe suite for the additional room. The bathrooms are clean and our bedding, including the comforter were changed daily. The hotel staff doesn't speak English, but it is Russia and Pskov is not St. Petersburg or Moscow. The breakfast and lunch cafes are great, the food is excellent, service wonderful and the price is right. Just make sure to check the schedule in the hallway to determine which floor is open on which day. We only ate in the hotel restaurant one night due to parties going on for the locals. The food in the restaurant was very good, but it seemed odd how often the restaurant was not available to hotel guests. The Rizhskaya is within walking distance of several wonderful restaurants, take a walk and try them out. All in all, we would stay here again. If you are looking for a Western Europe, American experience check out the Helio Park. If you want to experience Russia, stay at the Rizhskaya.