The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kazan City Center opened in December 2015.

The hotel is conveniently located in the city centre of Kazan. The Kremlin is situated around 10 minutes away by foot. The hotel is situated round the corner from Bauman Street (the main pedestrian street in Kazan).

There are just 93 guest rooms. The hotel has a modern, yet warm and homely feel, and was more akin to a boutique hotel than a 'cookie-cutter' chain hotel.

Lobby:

Check In

The front desk associate who checked us in was friendly and efficient. We were given the signature DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies.

I did not receive a room upgrade as a Diamond member (I booked and was allocated a standard room). When I enquired if a suite upgrade would be possible, the front desk manager said that it was the hotel’s policy to upgrade a Diamond member to a suite only if there is more than one suite available and, at that time, there was just one suite available. I thought this was regrettable, but did not push it any further, as I was told that the suite did not have a sofa bed and I preferred having two beds, as I was sharing the room with my friend.

Corridor:

Room

We were allocated a standard room with two double beds on the sixth floor.

The room was fairly spacious (it was a shame that there was a lot of unutilised space around the entrance).

There was a welcome letter and gift (chak-chak, khvorost and a muffin) on the desk. Chak-chak is a sign of hospitality – traditionally, guests would be treated to chak-chak by their hosts upon their arrival in Tartarstan.

We tried out room service one evening. The pelmeni (dumplings filled with meat) and beef stroganoff that we ordered were quite good.

There was a great view of the Kul Sharif Mosque and the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral from the room.

Bathroom:

Breakfast

Breakfast is available in the KEDR Restaurant on the ground floor from 7 to 10 am on weekdays and until 11am on weekends. As a Diamond member, the full breakfast buffet was available free of charge.

There was a good range of cooked and continental breakfast options, including smoked salmon. There was also local Tatar food, including echpochmak (triangular mini-pies filled with beef, potatoes and onion) and elesh (circular pies containing chicken, potatoes and onion).

Freshly baked croissants and chocolate-filled croissants were brought around the restaurant and offered to each table by the kitchen staff.

Eggs were available made-to-order.

Staff were efficient in collecting used dishes, but were not particularly friendly.

Gym

As of September 2016, the fitness centre situated inside the hotel is not open. Instead, the hotel has an arrangement with a gym (around 10 minutes' walk away) allowing hotel guests to visit free of charge.