The Don Plaza is considered a four-star hotel. The public spaces are indeed very nice and high quality, but the rooms are on the small side and strictly average - Hampton Inn quality. The room had a 20-inch LCD TV with one English-speaking channel (BBC). The bathroom was small; no washcloths are provided. It seems like a secure hotel, but the hollow-core doors are a little unnerving. In-room Internet access is available on designated floors - be sure to ask. Internet is priced based on how many mb you download - 50mb for 400 rubles, or about enough for 3-4 hours of surfing. Staff service is very good, and as was the room service. Most staff speak enough English to get the job done. The Don Plaza is well located, with a nice park next door and it's just a 10- to 12-minute walk to the government building that houses the administration of the Rostov Oblast. The tap water tastes like crap, and everybody knows it - which is why the hotel provides two bottles of water per day.

We stayed at the Congress Hotel (I believe it is now called the On Don Plaza) from July 16 to July 21, 2005 and found it to be a very good establishment. As there were three of us, and they only allow a max of 2 per room, we had the added advantage of being able to review 2 rooms. My grandson and I stayed in a nice 2 person room on the 15th floor and my wife a single room on the 6th floor. It was not a Sheraton although you wouldn't know it when you first arrive. The hall and front desk area is as good as any upper class hotel you'll find in the states with marble floors, plush couches and love seats in the waiting area, and a nice front desk area with a very polite staff. Being our first trip to Russia the staff were very helpful in answering questions and providing information for us. They were courteous and polite and spoke very good English, which is good as I speak little Russian. There was construction on the 12th and 13th floor and they were not accessible so figure they were renovating, but it didn't bother us during our stay. They do require a 1000 ruble deposit (about $40 USD) when you check in to cover the use of the bar, including sodas at 30 r each, and telephone (which we needed to pay even though our rooms were prepaid). In an earlier review they mentioned about turning in the key each day; however, they must have renovated the rooms as we had the plastic card key to access our rooms and kept them during our entire stay. Our room and the 15th floor was a very good room and I would compare it to a Super 8 or Best Western in the states. The beds were comfortable and the room clean. It was not recommended you drink the water but they brought 2 bottles of water each day for you to use when brushing your teeth. The shower and toilet facility were excellent and they brought clean towels each morning. All in all the room was more than I had expected given some of the reviews I've read. My wife's room on the 6th floor was a step up from ours. She obviously had more room with a single bed, but her bathroom was a little better also as were her desk and chair. Her room would compare to any Holiday Inn or Radisson. They had cable TV but unless you were very fluent in Russian couldn't understand much. They did however show a lot of TV shows and movies from the US and even had MTV, which made my grandson happy as there were allot of songs from the US which as you may or may not know are done in English. The main restaurant was good and as it was not very busy druing our stay it allowed the staff to be more available to us. However, we more often then not ate in the restaurant at the bar downstairs. It was quiet during lunch and we found the portions to be quite healthy. The hotel is positioned nicely in town and you can walk in any direction and shop. The staff again is very helpful in guiding you on where to go. I'd give it a two thumbs up. Now if they can only work on the transportation system from Terminal 1 (domestic flights) to Terminal 2 (international flights) in Moscow. Cost me $50 USD when we arrived to taxi from terminal 2 to 1 as the bus would not get us there in time. Coming back we paid 1500 r (about $60 USD) to go from terminal 1 to 2. They wanted 2500 r but that wasn't going to happen. Course now that we've made the trek we're alittle more savvy.

I have stayed at this hotel a number of times. The staff is nice and try their very best to be accomodating and friendly. Few of them speak English - thus without some Russian language skills and/or a translator (or friend who speaks the language), it's tough to get help. The restaurant is ok - service is typical soviet era - with waitresses/waitors coming over to your table "if" (and when) they feel like it. The restaurant is nicely laid out and has a stage for an orchestra/band which plays on certain nights. The music is old fashioned and I didn't hear anything that sounded even remotely up-to-date. The food was well prepared but the portions were small. The rooms were nothing to write home about. They were designed long-ago when "creature comforts" were something that only capitalists looked for (smile). Yet they serve a purpose - and do provide a restful sleep. The TV had a few cable channels - so I could listen to CNN at any time. As is typical with a Russian Hotel, there are ladies on each floor whose job it is to take your key when you leave and give it back to you when you return. Its kind of silly, today, in light of the rest of the world but in Rostov, its still done. The hotel is on the Main Drag - next to a pretty little park and very centrally located. Overall its OK but Rostov BADLY needs a new, Western Style Hotel -- or someone who can love this ol' hotel and is willing to spend the money to make it into a Western Quality Hotel.

Worst place I have ever been. Looked at Hotel Rostov as well, and it was just as bad. Ended up staying in a Marriott in Moscow and commuting to Rostov by plane for a few days.