I am a new traveler and I do not speak Russian. Basically the most I can say is please, thank you, hello, goodbye, how are you, and most importantly 'do you speak English?'. The hotel staff at the hotel was accommodating and most spoke English that I encountered. I highly suggest having the reception hall call for a taxi if you are not familiar with traveling by taxi in russia. It's safer and they can get you a better rate in most cases it seemed. The Nevsky express is located directly across from a cell phone shop, a clothing store, and there are plenty of other restaurants and coffee shops in the general area. Since you are also right on Nevsky you can pretty much walk all up and down Nevsky going to shops and restaurants all day. My room was always heat clean. The bathroom as nice and clean as well. Working the heater took me a minute to figure out but once I got it I was warmed up and cozy for my entire stay. The only one flaw is the bed. The bed is not the most comfortable thing. However, I slept very well each night (and sometimes during the day). Please k rep in mind that this hotel is directly facing Nevsky prospect which is extremely busy. You will hear cars and motorcycles sometimes until 2am right in front of you. They can be loud. I believe all hotels on Nevsky will be like this so if you cannot sleep next to it then find somewhere that is not right on Nevsky,,, but then you are missing out on a huge convenience.