Hotel Ukraine in the centre of Kyiv, overlooking Independence Square, the scene of the 2014 Maidan Revolution, is an essential part of the city’s landscape.
Opened in 1961 by the Soviet government, its neo-Gothic design has borne witness to many of Kyiv’s most significant historical episodes.
The four-star hotel, boasting 14 floors and 363 rooms across 22,000 square metres, may be imposing to look at but in the context of the war with Russia, its profitability is modest.
With a dearth of tourists flocking to the war-torn city, Hotel Kyiv is almost £900,000 in debt. Now, the State Property Fund is auctioning it off – another casualty of Putin’s war.
At the start of the war, it was feared that the striking building was a target for Russian troops.
Hotel manager, Bohdan Vasyliv, told Le Monde that word started to spread that invading forces were planning to take over the hotel once they arrived in the capital.
He said: “The enemy wanted to take the capital and parade on Khrechtchatyk.
“Rumour had it that groups of saboteurs in the city were preparing to occupy it, and we took it in turns to protect it.”
For a period, sandbags were installed and the hotel began to resemble a fort more than a place to kick back. However, in June 2022 Hotel Kyiv shook off the worries of war and relit its iconic blue sign, with a view to welcoming back guests.
Sadly, according to Bohdan, only conferences have “gradually resumed”, with birthdays, banquets and weddings falling victim to the lack of appetite for lavish celebrations at the venue.
Now, with only 100 staff and plummeting room prices, the hotel is auctioned off by the State Property Fund. The property is listed at £20 million and although no word has yet been given on where the proceeds of the hotel will go, Ukraine’s ailing war economy would surely welcome the desperately needed extra resources.
