The Crown Plaza in Minsk is an excellent hotel. The rooms are large and clean with big and comfortable beds, the bathrooms are big with well functioning showers and plenty of water pressure. Internet worked very well in my room but not so in others which were further away from the router. Service is excellent, very professional. The spa and gym are also very good with modern and working machines (which is not to be taken for granted). The Italian restaurant is also excellent with very good food, more for couples than for business but still with a pleasant atmosphere. The only thing I did not particularly enjoy is the bar next to the lobby as it is a bit sombre and lugubrious. Room rates are not low. I found it a bit pricey.

Keep in mind this is a high end hotel in Minsk. It would not be a high end hotel in Moscow or Chicago or Munich. I reserved a room far in advance and requested it be quiet. They put me in a room on the 2nd floor right over the coat room for the night club and lounge area. You can listen to coat hangars gliding metal on metal until 3am. It also has an electronic coat rack like the ones in dry cleaning businesses. But the staff was attentive and helpful in moving me to another room the next day.

The security guards could afford to stare less every time you walk into the hotel. They pace back and forth bored. I'd be bored too, but if I managed the hotel I'd tell them just to stand in place rather than occasionally block the stairway and give you a head turn glance every time you walk by. If they stood still with a 180 degree view then they'd just have to move their eyeballs to look at you and not do a total head turn "who are you pal, oh just you again." This is common in many cities like Minsk, so not to make this hotel out to be the only guys who do this. At least it feels safe.

Nightclub Next was ok but very very young. Like high school and university kids young. Music was hit or miss, mostly miss. I'd recommend going somewhere else if you're over 30.

Last critique is on the entrance. This is a hotel where people come with luggage yet there's 8 steps you have to climb first before you enter through double doors that are together maybe 5 feet wide maximum. Who designed this? So silly. It's like an obstacle course getting into the hotel.

Overall it's worth the stay and the staff are great, smile, nice calm people. There's not much choice in Minsk so it could be worse I think.

As mentioned by the previous reviewer, there's an active Casino on the second floor that you must past through to reach your room. It was after midnight when I checked in on a Wednesday night and the party was in full-swing, lots of ladies and drunken men loitering in the path between reception and the lift to my room. It was a bit surreal really like Las Vegas in the 50s or the Mustang if you catch my drift...

The staff are young but they do their best to be helpful, all are friendly. The room was on the third floor (lots of thumping music heard from the Casino) and it was immaculate. My king bed was comfortable and all linens and furnishings were of excellent quality. I was very impressed by the shower stall, there's more technology in there than most NASA spacecraft!

Overall this is a very nice property with lots of character, I'm just not sure I want/need to pass through the Casino scene every time I head upstairs to sleep...

Recommended ****