Cheltikov Hotel

The breakfast alone had a lot to offer, with Kars cheese, butter, honey, pastries, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and jams. They also serve filter coffee, which is rare in this part of Anatolia, along with Turkish tea and coffee on request, plus the usual instant options. The building is an original Russian landmark on a peaceful street where we heard birds in the morning, yet it’s central enough to walk to restaurants and local museums. Inside, there’s an exquisite lobby with a little library corner and a conference room, features we hadn’t seen at similar hotels. We first came to Kars on the Touristic Dogu Express Train from Ankara this winter and stayed elsewhere, but after spotting Cheltikov hotel, we quickly booked a stay. It turned out to be a great decision. It’s an old heritage building without an elevator, so you need to be comfortable climbing one flight of stairs. We spoke with the owner, who said a renovation was coming that would include accessibility plans. We were very pleased with the amenities and would choose it again on our next visit.

The staff are super friendly and helpful, and the location is central. It’s a beautiful restored building, with very nice rooms that have been completely renewed, including new bathrooms.

It’s peaceful despite being close to the center, and the historic building is lovely. The hotel has a fascinating past, having once even been an opera house. We got a warm welcome from the friendly staff and felt almost like family. The owners have two young daughters, and the older one already speaks some English. Our room was magnificent, with a view of the greenery, and breakfast was fantastic. Highly recommended.

We’d stayed here for a night before and recommended it to our friends, so we made plans around another booking. On the phone, the hotel first told us there was no deposit needed. As the date got closer, though, they kept calling and insisting we pay the full amount. One friend was injured and couldn’t continue with our plans, so we asked to cancel the room and get a refund. They refused, saying, “no refunds.” Then our return flight from Kars was cancelled and we had to reschedule the trip. When we informed the hotel, they again tried to keep the money, saying they had no refund policy. We said we’d issue an invoice and take legal action. They replied as though we had stayed there, saying they’d issue the invoice on our departure date, and are now trying to make it look like we stayed. We asked to resolve it privately or pursue legal action, but they accused us of being aggressive. In our conversations they never offered to postpone the accommodation dates, yet later blamed us as if they’d made that offer in good faith and we had refused. They also said things in their messages that they hadn’t done. They may rely on the historic buildings, but humanity and customer satisfaction should come first. I don’t consider the management prudent or their conduct anything but malicious. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. You’ll waste your money and be humiliated.