Hotel Ukraina to become Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow

The Rezidor Hotel Group has signed another hotel in Moscow. The Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow, currently known as the Hotel Ukraina, will be Rezidor’s new flagship in the Russian capital.

Presently under extensive renovation, the new Radisson Royal Hotel featuring 507 guest rooms and 38 serviced apartments is scheduled to open its doors on 1 December 2009.

“This hotel is another milestone in our history,” said Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. “Rezidor, the international pioneer on the Russian hotel market, is today the leading international hotel operator in Russia and the CIS countries – and now manages an additional key property in Moscow which is one of the most remarkable hotel structures in Europe. We are very pleased with the professionalism and quality orientation the owner and construction professionals has proven in realizing this momentous and historic hotel redevelopment.”

Reconstruction work on the building proved to be a complex task of combining the intricate process of restoring the look and feel of the original Ukraina while at the same time upgrading the guest services and engineering systems to comply with the most stringent modern safety standards.

The Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow is located right in the city centre – on a bow of the Moskva River at the conjunction of Kutuzovsky Prospect and Novy Arbat, two of the city’s most prestigious commercial thoroughfares.

Within close walking distance from the property there are many notable locations such as the House of Government of the Russian Federation (Russian White House) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Red Square, flanked by the walls of the Kremlin, is within comfortable reach of the hotel, and Moscow’s international airports are easily accessible with the main railway terminal to Vnukovo Airport just a few hundred metres away.

The property forms part of the legendary “Seven Sisters” – the Soviet skyscrapers based on an idea of Stalin and built in Soviet neo-classicism architectural style between 1949 and 1957. Designed by the leading Soviet architects Arkady Mordvinov and Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky the monumental 34-storey-building is 206 meters high (including a spire which measures 73 metres) – the largest European hotel of its day.

To make such an impressive accomplishment possible Soviet architects studied the engineering techniques used to erect Manhattan’s skyscrapers. All in all approximately 2,000 architects, engineers and artisans were co-opted to lay out the details of this grandiose project. Starting from the late 50’s only the most renowned citizens and guests of the Soviet Union were rewarded with stays at the hotel while visiting Moscow.

The classical and elegant interiors are now being refurbished and equipped with state-of-the-art technologies; each of the 507 rooms and suites as well as 38 furnished serviced apartments with kitchenettes designated for extended rentals, with guestrooms averaging 32 sqm and suites ranging in size from 50 up to 260 square metres will offer Radisson signature services such as free high speed internet access.

A further highlight is the hotel’s art collection of about 1,000 original paintings by the most prominent artists of the socialist realism period. Complimenting the unique art collection are several monumental murals and ceiling frescoes located in the public areas of the hotel.

The Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow will offer four restaurants: a breakfast restaurant, a Russian restaurant, a fine dining restaurant with summer terrace operated by the renowned Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov presenting French haute cuisine and Asian menus, and a further specialty venue on the 30th and 31st floors comprising an Italian gourmet restaurant, a bar and a Japanese restaurant.

For meetings and events the hotel will offer a modern conference centre for up to 1,000 guests; comprising nine meeting rooms, a ballroom of almost 450 square metres, a business centre, and a library.

The Wellness Centre & Spa will feature a total surface of 4,000 square metres and include a 50 metre 6 lane swimming pool, Jacuzzis, a Turkish bath, a Finnish sauna, extensive fitness facilities, a spa, and a dedicated kid’s club.

A luxury boutique gallery will host outlets for world class fashion and jewellery brands, and five high-end river cruise liners with restaurants which have been exclusively designed for the hotel will provide a unique opportunity to take a culinary boat trip in the heart of Moscow.

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