Renting an apartment vs a hotel room

Most of the travelers and tourists around the world traditionally rent hotel rooms for their visits to new cities. In Ukraine, one can find hotels in each city, too. But the majority of foreign visitors to this country prefer staying in privately owned apartments. There is a number of advantages in renting an apartment-

- you can negotiate the price down a bit (especially when you are dealing directly with the owner)
- it is possible to ask for additional utilities, services, things etc.
- you feel more independent in the apartment and you feel more "at home", as you can cook for yourself, you have everything you need for washing, you can enjoy total privacy, and there is a certain advantage in having at least two rooms (frequently, a living room and a bedroom) - all this at the cost which will be compared or lower than just a room in a hotel.
- payment is made per apartment, not per person. This way, it is especially beneficial to those who travel with families.
- the apartment owners are ready to accept dollars, Euros or local currency -ghryvna. The payment can be made upon arrival.

Since the Soviet time, the culture of hotel services has not been developing properly, as the Soviet citizens were traditionally brought up in Spartan style, with minimal comfort accepted as a sign of being strong and easily adjustable to any conditions of life. There were really few hotels for foreign visitors, and the traditional western standards of hotel services were never considered as an example to follow.

Today, there are more fancy - and even luxurious - hotels appearing all over the country. The system of services there reminds the western-style hotel services more and more. Hopefully, the whole system will soon come into balance with the European hotel services level. But today, of all the criteria that can characterize a good hotel,  only the costs of Ukrainian hotels can be compared with the western hotels.
Thus, renting an apartment seems to be a good alternative.