Luxury hotel group Mandarin Oriental has announced it will open its first Russian property in Moscow in 2011.
The 237-room hotel, located on Tverskaya Street (around five minutes’ walk from the Red Square), will be housed in a 19th-century building which over the years has served as a manor house, apartments and galleries. Mandarin Oriental says itsaim is to create a hotel combining “21st-century luxury with oriental charm”.
Features will include 66 suites, a spa with private treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool and fitness centre, a variety of restaurants and bars, two ballrooms, 6,000 sqm of luxury retail space, and underground valet parking.
Moscow has been short of international-standard hotels in recent years, but chains such as Hilton and Rezidor are beginning to increase their presence in the city. The Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya is due to open any day now, while Rezidor’s Radisson SAS brand has three hotels under development in the capital, although the original 2008-09 opening dates have been pushed back to 2010-11.
Raffles Hotels and Resorts has also recently announced it will open the Raffles Moscow in 2011, located in a 17th-century building in the Kitay-Gorod area of the city, close to landmarks such as the Red Square, the Kremlin and the BolshoiTheatre.
Click here to read Philip Parker’s report on Moscow hotel developments in the July/August 2007 edition of Business Traveller.
In other news, the Mandarin Oriental Munich has recently completed a €7 million year long renovation, which included the refurbishment of its façade and guestrooms, and the installation of a roof-top infinity pool with views of the city and Alps. Currently the smallest property in the group, the 73-room hotel now offers wireless internet access throughout (at a charge), and Bang and Olufsen televisions in the bedrooms.
The Munich hotel also provides guests with free use of Mercedes-Benz bicycles, along with three suggested routes to experience different aspects of the city. Next week, the property will start offering bespoke tours with a Munich art expert, providing access to private collections and artists’ studios. Tours range from two hours to a full day and prices start at around €400. Formore information visit mandarinoriental.com/munich.
Mandarin Oriental has four hotels in Europe – Geneva, Munich, Prague and London – but the group will more than double its presence in the region over the next three years. The first to arrive will be the Barcelona property in July next year, followed by Marrakech. Other Mandarin Oriental hotels due to open are in Paris, Milan and Marbella.
For moreinformation visit mandarinoriental.com.
Reportby Mark Caswell and Felicity Cousins
