InCity Hotels

RAFFLES Hotels will leave its mark in Moscow, the Russian capital with a new namesake luxury hotel set to open here in 2011. Raffles Hotel Moscow will be owned by ALT Corporation and managed by Singapore’s Raffles Hotels and Resorts, which has 22 hotel projects around the world.

The hotelier has been eyeing Russia for a “couple of years”, said Mr James Kaplan, senior vice-president of global development at Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, the parent company of Raffles Hotels and Resorts.

It chose Moscow because the Russian capital is attracting more business travellers and tourists. Last year, four million people visited Moscow, a 7.5 per cent increase from the previous year. This has created a growing demand for top hotel accommodation, which is currently in short supply here as several Soviet-era hotels have been torn down to make way for new developments.

One result of the squeeze on hotel rooms is sky-high room rates. Moscow has one of the highest rates in the world. Raffles Moscow Hotel will be pitched right at the top, with room rates starting at around US$800 to S$1,000 (S$1,400) a night. The average room rate for Moscow’s top hotels has grown annually by 18 per cent since 2003.

Raffles also has plans to open a hotel in St Petersburg.

Other major international hotel chains are also making a beeline for Moscow. The Ritz Carlton opened here last year, and the Four Seasons and Hotel Intercontinental have projects under construction now.

But Raffles believes its new 130-room hotel in the heart of the Moscow city - in the Kitay-Gorod district - will be top of the line. The new hotel will be in a heritage building and is a three-minute walk from Red Square and near top-end shopping centres.

Raffles Moscow Hotel will be part of a larger development that includes apartments, galleries and historic buildings such as an 18th century Russian Orthodox church, and the house where French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte occasionally stayed when he was in the city.

Fortunately for Moscow visitors, there are now more choices of hotels in Moscow that exist and are functional than may have been possible in years past. You can choose between the old-timer hotels in Moscow like the Hotel Metropol, or the new kids on the block that can easily be distinguished from the old-timers by their new types of architecture. And of course the pricing for each is different so you need to be astute at comparing services and prices for hotels in Moscow to know which is the best for your needs.

To start with, there is the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel that was built to one side of the Moscow River. It was designed to serve the lodging needs of people on business or on leisure pursuits. Prices of rooms here start at 430 US dollars.

The Golden Ring Hotel is quite near the Kremlin and the Red Square. Because of its location within the heart of the Moscow city, you may find this hotel to be suited to your city exploration needs. Prices of rooms start at 218 US dollars at the Golden Ring Hotel.

If you need a place with sizeable and functional conference halls, then you may be interested in staying at the Izmailovo Gamma Delta hotel so it can host your business-related events. This Moscow hotel also serves tourists, athletes, and businessmen at the same time. Prices of rooms start at 129 US dollars here.

The Hotel National is sometimes known as the National Hotel, but both names refer to the same building. You can choose between a standard single room, a standard double room, a double deluxe room, and a luxurious suite for your stay. Prices per room start at 240 US dollars.

If you want modern hotels in Moscow to choose from, then you might want to stay at Radisson Sas Slavyanskaya. This hotel offers both a convenient location in the middle of the city, and comfortable lodgings, to travelers out on business. In fact, the hotel can accommodate your business event hosting requirements as well. Prices per room begin at 260 US dollars.

Despite looking like an office building more than one of the modern hotels in Moscow, the Sheraton Palace Hotel has been able to win the appreciation of well-known personalities and businesspeople in the more than 10 years of service it has pursued in the city. It boasts of state-of-the art equipment and first-class accommodations, coupled with the Russian brand of hospitality. Prices per room start at 372 US dollars.

The commonality such hotels in Moscow have is that they all allow you to stay within the city of Moscow which is the economic, political, and scientific nerve center of Russia. Hotels in Moscow have reached modern-day status too because it is possible to inquire about lodgings and book accommodations in advance at these hotels via their online booking system. You may also want to ask about other features of Moscow life such as theaters, cinemas, and shopping centers at the Moscow hotels you contact so that you know which of these places you would probably want to visit while you’re in the city. And remember that Moscow is full of historical and cultural places that Russians are proud of so be sure to complete your visit by going to at least some of them while you’re in Moscow, Russia.