The Best Hotels to Book in Samara, Russia

This grand wedge of a hotel, overlooking Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and Kuybysheva Square, is the LOTTE Hotel Samara. The 193 rooms are effortlessly elegant and those on upper floors, in particular, offer excellent views over the city and Volga River. There are great views, too, from the indoor pool with its warm tile mosaics and Finnish sauna. Rooms have art deco furniture, edged with brass, and a mauve, grey and wood-tone aesthetic.

When it comes to Russia, the Holiday Inn is just as dependable a chain as it is elsewhere. A variety of excellent features includes the bar and tea lounge, for a relaxing break from your day, and the heated indoor pool, spa and gym, helping you keep in shape while on the road. For visitors who are keen to explore the city, the lovely Volga embankment and sandy city beach is a block away and a great place for a leisurely stroll.

The Renaissance Samara is another global stalwart in a part of Russia that was closed off to the West up until as recently as the 1980s. It is also one of the city’s bigger hotels. As such, you will find 196 different rooms, including a presidential suite, which has its own office and meeting room. All rooms have modern beds with clean, crisp linen and a large work desk, with shades of peach, mustard and emerald enlivening the space.

Northeast of Samara’s historic centre is the 7 Avenue Hotel & SPA, where the comforts of a luxury hotel are combined with the facilities of a top-class fitness centre. The three-lane, 25m (82ft) indoor swimming pool is ideal for anybody looking to stay in shape, as is the on-site gym, with its views over the Volga. Rooms all have plush furnishings and are adorned with watercolour and oil paintings of cityscapes and landscapes.

Are you travelling to or from Samara by train? If so, the Hampton by Hilton Samara is an ideally located upscale hotel providing easy access to the city’s transport hub, with regular Moscow-bound departures. Rooms have that unmistakable Hampton imprint of simple wooden furnishings and crisp sheets, which contrast with the purple, patterned carpets and modern architecture photography on the walls. In the lobby there’s a small bar and snacks can be purchased at any time of day.

For a relatively budget-friendly chain hotel, there’s the ibis Samara and its 204 rooms, packed neatly into a 12-storey building. The rooms might seem lower on space than your average Samara hotel room, but they are big on amenities containing, among other things, a workspace and chair, blackout curtains and en-suite bathrooms with walk-in showers. The general colour palette uses earthy tones, with pops of burnt orange from the curtains and bathroom walls adding to the sense of warmth.

Another of Samara’s thriving hotels, the Meridian is a modern and cosy option that offers discounts for longer-term stays. Located in one of the city’s newer high-rises, the hotel itself is on the smaller size, limited to 23 rooms and a meeting room that is available 24 hours a day for anybody living the digital nomad dream. Rooms are spacious with colourful polka carpeting and a lime green strand running through the décor.

Regular travellers know that chain hotels can sometimes feel a little clinical and soulless compared to smaller, family-run hotels. If this rings true with you, then the House on Potapova is a neat alternative, where each of the 21 rooms has a unique design and layout. Decoration ranges from floral wallpaper to abstract, Jackson Pollock-esque murals, while some rooms contain kitchens and natural fireplaces, ideal for those colder months.

Amiably living up to its name, Trend is a hotel that treats its interior design with a contemporary geometric precision, from the exterior wood panelling right down to the interlocking triangle-patterned bedsheets. The reception area sets the tone well with exposed brick and warm mood lighting. The price point is relatively competitive, particularly given the continental breakfast included in the room rate. Hotel Trend is a ten-minute walk from Park Yuriya Gagarina.