Warning - maybe too strong a word - pay attention - beware of location
As the old saying goes - Let the Buyer Beware !
One local news paper just issued a strong statement on a new hotel South of the Central Market. The English language translation appeared in the Tourism news www.standbynews.info as follows:
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New hotel in potentially dangerous area
Newspaper warns that Dodo Hotel is not in an upmarket part of Riga
As reported, two French investors have unveiled the Dodo Hotel in Riga. Situated on the corner of Maskavas, Daugavpils and Jersikas streets, the area is known to be dangerous at night, this newspaper warns, even though it is not far from downtown Riga. The target audience of the 109-room hotel, which cost EUR 4 million to build, is business travellers. A double room costs EUR 49 a day between June 1 and September 30. Biznes&Baltija, 2008-05-08
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I worry that this may be too strong of a statement not deserving of the location and the effort that the owners put into building this hotel. I have personally been to the location last week during mid day and it appears quite safe to me (at daylight hours). The hotel is actually a very attractive improvement to the area.
However after sundown and with a few too many drinks in my tummy (not thinking too fast and clear) I might be a little more worried about this area. The Tram stop is actually very close to the hotel - you can even see the hotel's front door from the stop.
But the riders of the tram at these later hours may not be the knd of people you would want to invite into your home. This worrys me some too. So a taxi is probably recommend over a late might Tram ride and for sure I would not be walking this from City Center AT ALL - NEVER!
So the 100 Ls question (US$200) is do you risk something happening to save 100 Ls on a 3 night stay? Subtract 30 Ls of potential taxi fares during your stay and you are down to a 70 Ls savings over walking to a city center hotel at a higher price.
There are many otehr hotels in this category and I won't name them as I don't believe it is my place to do so (the news report named this one for me). So as a visitor, consider the location carefully and ask a lot of questions.
... be careful.

