My wife and I and some friends stayed at Hotel Giuseppe in January 2010.
The decor is very nice. Marble stair facings. Long Hallways. Nice paintings. Many lounges and meeting tables sprinkled throughout the hotel give it a casual almost mediteranean feel. Full breakfast ( included in room tariff) is excellent with an italian twist. That the owner is Italian can be felt throughout the hotel. Very friendly and helpful kind hearted ladies at reception. All speak very good english ( if that is important to you ) . When we had some laundry done it was collected and delivered back to the room in old european style. Central location. Very clean and tidy. Nice rooms. Staff could not do enough for us . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :) - Donald and Veronika - Australia

Hotel Giuseppe is a great choice for Kazan as it is within walking distance to business, dining and tourist attractions. The staff is very friendly and helpful with everything and most of them speak English, if that is important for you.

My room was very large and the shower had fantastic water pressure. The hotel is very clean and the maids are always washing the floors. Despite this, my room consistently had a strong moldy smell. Also my mattress was quite hard and it took a while to get used to sleeping on it. Because there is no carpeting, the halls are very noisy and echo when anyone walks or talks in them.

However, on the whole it is a very nice establishment with many amenities and friendly people.

Italian-run hotel `Giuseppe` in the heart of one of the most interesting russian cities — Kazan' — attracted me by their special offer for weekend: they allowed early check-in (10 a.m.) and late check-out (6 p.m.) for the normal price of one night when you stay for Friday or Saturday night (I`m not sure is this offer still actual or not, you can consult on their website).

We booked suite with 2 rooms, but there`re no such free rooms, and we were upgraded to suite with 3 rooms for free. Moreover, they offer 10% discount when you pay cash.

So, this hotel has honest 4 stars, I was surprised to see so nice hotel for that price in Russia.

Also I have to write about breakfast. That was such a breakfast, you can have no lunch after it. A lot of salads, yougurts, fruits and vegetables. It was really perfect for a breakfast in a hotel.

Sure, next time in Kazan` I`ll stay only in Giuseppe.

I have to say that my experience in Hotel Giuseppe was very good.
It seems to be an institution in Kazan, known by local people as well as the magnificent kremlin.
staff was very nice and helpful (really a big a surprise after being in other russian hotels).
the position is great in the old centre at 5 min from the kremlin.
the rooms are clean and spacious (some also too much) but no air con in all rooms - then if you travel in august I advice to request one with air con in advance.
by the way I would advice Giuseppe to change the interior design of the rooms and common areas. to use cooler colors and more modern furniture. this is misleading of the italian style.