Sochi Looks Like A Lot Of Fun

Every two years, the world frets that the host city for the Olympics won't be ready in time, and every two years, the Olympics go off more or less without a hitch.

So who knows? Everything might work out absolutely fine for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. There might be nothing to see here. But just two days out from the Games, signs from the Russian city aren't promising.

Reporters from around the world have started checking into local hotels — and they've been tweeting what they find. The results, compiled by the Washington Post, make for an incredible ad for Sochi tourism.

This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi pic.twitter.com/RTjEkmyan3

— Harry Reekie (@HarryCNN) February 4, 2014

CNN booked 11 rooms in one @Sochi2014 media hotel five months ago. We have been here for a day and only one room is available. #cnnsochi

— Harry Reekie (@HarryCNN) February 4, 2014

Still waiting for "preparations" on hotel room to finish. Hoping they're origami-folding toilet roll, rather than, say, putting the roof on.

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014

I have a room! No heating or internet, but it has a (single) bed at least...

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014

Got back to hotel. Lift broken after half day in use. Trekked up stairs. Door to my floor (that'd be the fire door) locked. Utter farce.

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014

Water main break means no water at our hotel in #Sochi. Could take awhile to fix. #CTVSochi

— Rosa Hwang (@RosaHwangCTV) February 3, 2014

The reception of our hotel in #Sochi has no floor. But it does have this welcoming picture. pic.twitter.com/8isdoBuytl

— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) February 4, 2014

@bruce_arthur Hotel issues have been happening to a lot of people. Left out on the street, you risk being poisoned or trapped like the dogs.

— Wayne Chow (@wayne_chow) February 2, 2014

Miss you, hot water in my hotel. You were great.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) February 4, 2014

People have asked me what surprised me the most here in Sochi. It's this. Without question ... it's ... THIS. pic.twitter.com/1jj05FNdCP

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 4, 2014

Ok, so my hotel doesn't have a lobby yet.

— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) February 4, 2014

For those of you asking, when there's no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner's bedroom to check in. #Sochi2014

— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) February 4, 2014

My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, "do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous." #Sochi2014

— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014

Made new pal from La Presse as we struggled to find hotel. When we got to our (temporary) rooms his doorknob came off in hand #roadtosochi

— katiebakes (@katiebakes) February 4, 2014

Congrats to @Dave_Schwartz only media personality who's arrived in Sochi with a hotel room that's ready, with doorknob that doesn't fall off

— Ryan Stanzel (@rstanzel) February 4, 2014

German journalist Joerg Reuter has been in Sochi for weeks, and hasn't had a much easier time finding a hotel room. He found construction workers living and sleeping in one room he was offered, and a stray dog in another.

Bruce Arthur, writing for Canada.com, has some more horror stories. One journalist staying in a room with twin beds arrived to find that "someone had left an indeterminate amount of semen on the sheets of the second bed, and those sheets had been taken away for cleaning, and hadn't come back".

A worker told Arthur, "In general, it is done. But the details are not done. And the details are everything."

Yes. The details really are everything.

Went to buy water, realised at last minute was big plastic bottle of gin. Then got accosted by 3-legged dog. #Sochi pic.twitter.com/RbP2GqnXUK

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014