| |
Grandiloquent opulence in the Empire style defines the second of Moscow’s true period hotels. The murals are by Vrubel, the wallpapers (sadly gone) were by Bakst—but the service, sadly, is by fishwives. This miserably managed hotel is a classic example of what happens when money is saved by employing the cheapest available staff. It’s desperately sad that this marvelous old hotel, restored at immense cost to show that the former Soviet tourism monolith Intourist could 'compete with the world’s best’, fails so utterly. Console yourself with the fine location, opposite the Bolshoi Theatre, if you’ve had no say in being quartered here. The rooms, when they eventually give you your key, are very nice. The restaurant’s interiors are a national treasure, its service isn’t. Conference facilities seat up to 300 attendees.
|
Some people travel to see the sights, others travel to stay in them. Lenin’s socialist principles didn’t stop him checking into Moscow’s smartest new (1913) belle époque hotel when he moved the capital back to Moscow in 1918—and he stayed for several years. Magnificently restored and now in the safe hands of the Meridien group, the National can pip any other property on location. It’s just 100 metres from Red Square (some rooms look onto it) with marvelous views of the Kremlin next door. In place of contract carpet and beige wallpaper, the corridors of the National are lined with priceless antiques and paintings, as are the rooms. This is where you flaunt it if you’ve got it.
|
| |