Odessa is a strange, seedy city. First of all, avoid taxis at all costs, unless you are referred by one by the hotels. Second, there's 2 Ekaterina hotels, so ensure when you try navigating into Odessa, choose the one at the end of Katerynys'ka Street - Catherine II Monument. It'd help if you write this down (Материал из Википедии — свободной энциклопедии) in case people have no clue where you're trying to go. At the hotel, you have to go around the back courtyard and indoors, up the elevator to the 4th floor. It's a strange setup, but at least you're not humping your luggage x-amount of stair flights like other hotels. There, you're greeted by an excellent staff. They speak good English and go out of their way to help you with every question you possibly have. They are GREAT for tourists. My room was pretty nice. I'd suggest leaving your card at the lobby desk in the event you run into trouble out in town. So just grab their business card in case you want a REAL taxi to bring you back. Worth the money and conveniently located near many restaurants & bars.