This hotel is about 30 minutes outside of Moscow, and a 10 minute walk through a potentially sketchy area at night. The hotel’s hallways reeked of smoke as more than half of the hotel consists of smoking rooms. There are, however, a few rooms that are smoke free. The price is definitely cheap relative to most of Moscow, but the distance and smoking detracted from our experience. To top it off, there was no hot water either of the mornings we were there, and at night it was lukewarm at best.

The main point is the hotel's location - its about 5 or 6 metro stops from the central/Red Square area - the metro itself is worth exploring, but can be a bit intimidating with the lack of station signs and the alphabet. From the metro station its an interesting walk through the market and across the train tracks, probably about 800m in total from Metro station to hotel. Room was fine; good size, decent bathroom with bath & shower. Clean. Hot & cold breakfast buffet - don't be late ! - they start clearing it up at 10 on the dot. Largish hotel, 5 floors I think. Reasonable restaurant.

We stayed there for almost a week. This was the only hotel we could aford, and we were quite happy, except with the transfer from Domodjedovo airport, which is on the other side of the city! Once you're familiar with the tub system, it's OK, but you have to cross some dodgy street (safe though, we came back at past midnight once) to walk to and from the tube station. The room was clean; some unpleasant smell of half-cooked carbage was emanating in the corridors sometimes, but I've heard it's even worse in some hotels in the city center, for almost 10 times the price we paid! Staff was pleasant; only the youngest speak English, and most of them were ready to help out. Frankly, given the price compared to other hotels, it's worse going there.

Well...Not easy to find if you decide to reach the hotel by tub. The room was clean and tidy but nothing more. The restaurant was poor, the breakfast more than average and the waitress not really smilling... Correct price for such an hotel but you can find much better. If you do not mind walking a bit you can reach the town centre quit easily by tub.

The hotel far exceeded my expectations considering the various reviews and prior experiences visitng Moscow. The staff understood English, was polite, and the check-in/out clerks were friendly (the security / concierge could use lessons on how to smile). An e-mail I sent to the hotel prior to the trip requesting a non-smoking room was immediately replied to and upon my arrival I was pleased to see that such was assigned to me. The free buffett breakfast was superb, allowing one to have a hot healthy meal fit for a king to start the day (kind of ideal considering the 8 hour time shift from the East Coast). The stroll from the metro was nothing significant (5 - 10 minutes) and the little shops along the way were at times useful enabling the purchase of a bottle of water or soda for the road. The hotel is located in a residential area and as such it was nice to overlook grassy parks and see people strolling (all friendly). The only items that were less than superb were the lack of a soap dish in the shower and the bed not being as soft as the beds commonly used in American hotels; however, getting to sleep was never a problem and the firmer character was appreciated. Bottom-line: The experience was better than a prior stay at the Metropol at one-third the price. The location allowed for a truer appreciation of Moscow with ready access to the city through metro. I would not hesitate to stay at the Irbis the next time I visit Moscow.