After reading the previous reviews of this hotel, I was a bit nervous about my upcoming stay, but my fears were groundless. The hotel was clean, and the staff helpful and courteous. My room, while small, was clean, comfortable, and quiet. Absolutely NO COMPLAINTS from me or any of my associates that were also staying there at the time.

Having stayed at a number of hotels in Russia, thus far, on our trans-Siberian trip, I have purposely found a restaurant with an internet connection simply in order to write a review warning people from this dreadful hotel.

The lobby seems quite nice and the staff relatively friendly (although they did laugh when we asked whether our room had a double bed or two single beds), but the hotel is an absolute disgrace and the management should be ashamed of themselves. After paying over £50 a night (for which I could get a nice B&B in the UK) we went up in the lift to the 7th floor, the corridor of which resembled a corridor in a 1950's mental institution, and found ourselves in a room that I can only describe as a 'crack den' reminiscent of the room in 'Trainspotting' where the baby dies. In fairness, the room was in fact clean, but the stains on the walls that turned into spooky shapes when the lights were dimmed, the falling plaster, the peeling paint, the built in wardrobe that wouldn't shut and threatened to release all sorts of horrors during the night, the lumpy matress and offensively lumpy pillow and ripped wallpaper was less than I would expect from a £5 a night room in Bangkok. Do not stay here, it is an utter disgrace and a shame for the Russian people. What makes it particularly galling is that I did in fact check the pictures on their website before I booked it and they looked a bit rough but essentially fine. According to the notice in the room, however, the clearly very corrupt owner of the hotel had done his very best to make the hotel 'the best for a most pleasant stay'. A disgrace.

We'd booked through an agent to get another hotel, which they couldn't do for us so they at the last minute "upgraded us" to this hotel - as it had an ensuite (which is a fair enough reason to call it an upgrade). However, I don't know how much worse it could be.

The lobby is nice, clean and the staff at the front desk are friendly enough. I don't recommend the guide desk next door who were clueless about everything though.

We were given floor 7, which as someone said before us "is a different world". I would agree with those sentiments. The wallpaper was peeling, numbers were missing off the doors and the floor was tatty linoleum.

The room was, different to a typical hotel room. Wallpaper peeling, pipes showing in the bathroom, insulation showing around the windows and damp patches around the ceiling. If this was the UK this hotel would have already been shut down! We had a TV, it's TV stand a rusting fridge probably much older than me - I didn't dare plug it in! It was mouldy inside and the door didn't close properly. Food anyone?!

To top it off the beds were like sleeping on rocks.

Plus points: Breakfast was half decent and they had curtains (a western luxury in Russia it seems!)

You get my picture, unless you have to, don't stay here.

I have stayed in Hotel Sverdlorsk twice now. First time in September 2006 when I stayed for one week, then again in December 2007. Both times I have stayed, I was charged 700Rubles a night and have found the staff helpful and friendly. The first time i stayed I spoke not a word of Russian (I am Australian) and had no problems at all. The second time I stayed the receptionist even arranged an apartment for me in the centre as I was going to be staying in Ekaterinburg for two months. The rooms are terrible, but thats to be expected. For a cheap price its ok. Safe and convenient. If you wish to stay in comfortable surroundings and need to feel as you are back home (Europe, Australia, USA), then dont stay there. This is typical soviet style hotel. For a trans siberian stopover with basic amenties then its perfect. Just dont walk in to the foyer with your loud accents and flash gadgets. Be respectful and you are sure to not be ripped off.