Continental Business Hotel

This was my 4th trip to Odessa and this was also my first time staying here at this hotel. In the past I stayed at another hotel that was a bit further of a walk from the city center (Deribasovskaya Street) but decided to that this time I would stay right in the heart of things. Did a bit of research on hotels along Deribasovskaya St and found that the Continental was not only reasonably priced but it also had mostly positive reviews. I’ve got to fist say that Odessa is not the type of city where you’ll find ultra luxurious chain type hotels that you find in most major cities. What you will find are an abundance of small independent boutique hotels. Most are contained within old buildings but have been refurbished to some extent to meet the expectations of a more modern generation as best as they can. The hotel is located right pretty much in the city center on one end of Deribasovskaya Street and is strategically located such that you can get to pretty much any spot you need to. Odessa isn’t very big to begin with so in reality nothing isn’t really within walking distance other than the outskirts of town. But in general, you don’t get much better when it comes to location for sightseeing, dining, etc. Checkin process was smooth and the front desk employee had no issues communicating in English. Did not really have much interaction at all with any of the staff outside of checking in and checking out. We were placed in the “newer” building situated in the back away from the street and from what I gathered, had a much more modern look to the rooms than in the “older” building at the front facing the street. Our room was a decent size comparable to what you’d find at any hotel back in the States. Nothing too luxurious about it but it was comfortable and cozy. Right on par with what I was expecting for the price. A few of the negatives I encountered: 1) No A/C. It happened to be pretty cool during our time there (lows in the 40’s and hi’s in the 60’s) so cooling the room was a matter of simply opening the window. If you plan on staying here in the summer this is something you will definitely have to take note of. 2) Elevator is ridiculously small. You can barely fit to people in it much less 2 people with baggage. Good luck if your a family of 3 or more. This is by far the smallest elevator, no joke, that I’ve encountered. 3) I’m not a fan of bathtub showers and unfortunately that’s what our room had. Tub was built super high so getting in and out of it is what I would consider to be a hazard. 4) Breakfast not included in room rate. This was somewhat unusual as I’d say that most other hotels in Odessa automatically include breakfast for your stay. So all in all I’d say it’s a great place to stay if you want to be close to all the action. Rooms are pretty standard and have most basic necessities but isn’t much more than that. Honestly though, you’ll find better valued hotels situated slightly farther away.