Hotels and Apartments, Odessa Ukraine.

Where to Stay

Reservations and Quality
Hotel Grading
Business travelers
Children
Absoulute Cheapest Way to find a room
Finding an apartment for long-term stays in Odessa
Rental Boards
Classified Ads listing rentals

Reservations and Quality
The average occupancy rate in Ukrainian hotels is 25%, so finding a vacant hotel room in Odessa is usually easy. Similar to the rest of Ukraine, western-standard hotel rooms in Odessa are ridiculously over-priced. 

Unipress travel also states:
"Prices and quality fluctuate even within the same star category.  This strange situation is caused by numerous room types the
majority of hotels have. You can see suites A, B, C, semi-suites with the same nominations, a couple of standard and economy rooms as well - all in the same small hotel.

There are several reasons for such a vast categorization. One of them is that hotels usually make renovation in part of the rooms
they have, the rest stays untouched. And since this process is repetitive and stretched in time, new and new room types appear. On the top of it, rooms can differ in size and amenities - air-conditioning,  newer furniture, Hi-Fi stereo system, VCR, etc. As a result, economy or non-renovated room at a 4-star hotel might be of a lower quality and higher cost than suite or semi-suite at a 2-star hotel. "

Hotel Grading
There is no third party arbiter which grades hotels in Ukraine, and each hotel decides its own grading system. Hotel grades listed in this guide are based on the hotel's own advertised ratings. Pay special attention to the hotel description to get a better idea of whether the self-appointed grading is accurate.

The Ukrainian rating system for hotels is very different from western standards. It is often based on the physical accommodations available rather than the condition of the facilities, quality of services, and the cleanliness. A three star hotel in the Ukrainian system may not qualify as a three star hotel in any western city because of rude service, neglected maintenance, bad food, and worn interior decor.

Business travelers
Of all of the hotels, Londonskya, Kimpinski, and Chernoye Moray all have business facilities for the business traveler.  Londonskaya is advertised as: " The business center offers fax, telex, international communication, copying, and typing."

Kimpinski is advertised as: "designed with the business traveler in mind and feature a large desk, direct dial telephone, PC connections, safe, mini-bar, air-conditioning, TV with extensive satellite channels… Business Center offers secretarial and translation service. "

Chernoye More is advertised as: " equipped with fax, satellite communication system, telex, personal computers, laser printers, Xeroxes, banquet and meeting halls and provides secretarial and translation service."

Children
Odessa hotels do not usually make any special provision for children.  There are several hotels that do have swimming pools.

Cheaper options for bargain travelers
Refer to the sanatorium section, which are much cheaper than Odessa hotels.

Women advertising rooms for rent
from frockland at virtualtourist.com

The absolutely cheapest way to find a room is to rent a room in someone's apartment. Go to the train station and look for people, usually old women, standing at the entrance with small pieces of paper or cardboard attached to their clothing
by a clothes pin. These signs will say: Комната "room"

Being a foreigner you will probably be charged much more than a local. But you should not have to pay more than $10-$15 a night. Make sure to ask if there is hot water (garyachya voda / горячя вода) and a kalunka (water heater) available in these apartments, as there often is not.

Booking a hotel online
The three best established and most expensive hotels in Odessa: Krasnaya, Londonskaya, and Chernoye More (Black Sea) can be booked from any of the major international hotel booking companies online. The other 16 hotels listed in this guide are nearly impossible to book through a hotel booking company (with the exception of all-hotels.com.ua).

Finding an apartment for long-term stays in Odessa

Average rent for a native Odessite for a furnished, non-renovated one room apartment in the center of Odessa is $80-$150 a month.  Being a non-native, you may have to pay substantially more, especially if you go through a dealer who advertises on the Internet.

Landladies often openly discriminate against visible minorities when renting flats/apartments, particularly to people of non-Caucasian background. This reputation has evolved from international students in Odessa from wealthy backgrounds according to Ukrainian standards, for being wild and noisy tenants.

If a renter goes through a dealer/agency, the renter must pay a one-time fee to the agency, which is usually one-half of one month's rent.  Rental deposits are not typical in Ukraine.  Landladies may come into the flat unannounced and are not as sensitive about privacy as Western landlords.

It is best to find a translator to help you find an apartment.

Rental boards
Located just south of Grecheskaya Ploshat (Square) (Греческая Площадь) at the median at the junction of Grecheskaya (Греческая) and Aleksandrovsky Ave. (Александровский проспект).  Many Odessites know this area as Kiev Restaurant from a defunct restaurant, which once at Grecheskaya 1 (Греческая).

There is a rental board where landlords place thousands of advertisements on small flyers. Every Wednesday morning until the early afternoon dozen of buyers and sellers come to this location and barter.