Moscow Hotels

Moscow Hotel Reviews

You might think that a world capital with a population of more than 10 million would have a large number of hotels, but this is not yet the case in Moscow. As Russia comes in from the cold, the city's hotel scene is expanding slowly, with on average one new major hotel opening a year. A Ritz-Carlton opened in July 2007 on Tverskaya ulitsa on the site of the former eyesore landmark Intourist hotel, demolished in 2002. Another icon of Moscow, the Moskva hotel featured on the label of Stolichnaya vodka, was torn down in 2003. A deluxe hotel is to rise on the same site with a replica facade of the original in late 2008.

For travelers able and willing to splurge, Moscow's top hotels offer a level of amenities and pampering that was unavailable a decade ago. Fine restaurants, business centers, cafés and cocktail bars, health clubs, and attentive service are now the norm at five-star hotels.

That noted, the city suffers from a dearth of decent mid-range hotels. Some mid-range spots retain their Soviet decor—mouse-brown carpet, tarnished gold-pattern polyester upholstery, and plywood furniture. Some of these hotels also suffer from Soviet-style service, with unhelpful, indifferent, and sometimes even rude staff. Competition among hotels is slowly leading to improvements, but be prepared for a lower level of service than you might expect at home. When reserving, it really pays to ask for a room that has been renovated; the cost is usually the same and the difference can be startling, particularly in the lower-price hotels. If it matters, you should also ask whether your double room has twin beds or one large one; either is possible. To ask for a renovated room in Russian, say: Mozhno li poprosit otremontirovanny nomer? For a large bed: Mozhno li poprosit nomer s bolshoi krovatyu?