Moscow news
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06-Dec-2007
One Grand Hotel
If you are coming to Moscow on business or for pleasure, you will surely want to enjoy the comfort offered by your favorite hotel brand. That shouldn't be difficult, considering that most of the world's leading hotel chains have already established their presence in the Russian capital.
However, do make sure to book your room in time.
"We would normally expect our clients to book two weeks in advance if they want to enjoy the familiar comfort," Marriott Grand sales director Konstantin Goriainov told The Mos?cow News in a recent interview. "We are nearly always booked, except off-peaks around Christmas time and in August, so be sure to book in advance".
The hotel's PR director Valentina Starova also advised taking care of booking well ahead of your trip. Otherwise, you may be facing unpleasant, last-minute surprises.
"We had a case when the World Economic Forum once decided to delay a conference only because there was no conference space available at the Marriott Grand," she explains.
What is so particular about this hotel that would make someone reschedule their plans only to get a room here?
Well, hospitality starts immediately upon your arrival at Moscow's Shere?metyevo and Domodedovo international airports where Marriott has stands with friendly staff on hand to help you out, providing general information and transfer to the city. Mind you, transfers also need to be booked in advance. By global standards, the distance between the airports and your final destination is moderate - 20 miles from Shere?me?tyevo-2 and 40 miles from Domo?dedovo.
However, the Moscow traffic has become a real agony recently, and if you end up in a traffic jam the trip is likely to drain you. If you're lucky, though, to arrive during off-peak hours, you'll enjoy a drive along the city's main thoroughfare, the busy Tverskaya Street, on which stands the Marriott Grand -
a classical-style building, perfectly fitting into Tver?skaya's architectural ensemble. The hotel boasts one of the most convenient locations in the city, a 15-minute walking distance from Red Square and the Bolshoi Theater. Being in the heart of Moscow will save you time and spare you the hassle when meeting your business partners or going downtown for drinks after a busy day.
Staying here is never boring, too - while enjoying a nice stroll just outside the hotel, you can do some shopping in luxury-branded stores such as Canali, James, Sonia Rykiel, Escada and others. The place abounds in restaurants with such well-known Moscow fixtures as Pekinskaya Utka (Beijing Duck), TGI Fridays (located right opposite the hotel entrance), Goodman and Fish-house, both located across the street.
For those preferring to spend their nights out, Piramida Bar, open to 5 a.m., and just a couple of hundred yards down, or one of Moscow's oldest clubs, Night Flight, may be an option. If you speak Russian and are a movie goer, you may want to check out the nearby Kodak Kinomir theater for the latest box office hits - it takes a five-minute walk from the hotel to get there and the last show is scheduled for 11:45 p.m. If you have a penchant for the theater, you may choose from a wide array of plays offered in the repertoire of the Stanislavsky Theater across the street, widely recognized abroad as one of Russia's finest.
Tverskaya and nearby streets also feature spots that are important to a traveler, such as banks, money exchange outlets, round-the-clock drugstores, and even a Tax Advice Center.
Upon entering the hotel, stylishly decorated interiors and an exquisite ground-floor fountain grab your attention immediately, with relaxing music playing in the background. Comfort comes first, and every of the hotel's 384 rooms has a safe, three telephone lines, wireless high-speed internet access (which is also available in public areas), satellite TV and individual climate control. If you want red-carpet treatment - the hotel can offer the presidential suite and two ambassador suites, located on the two executive floors. Of course, the rates are rather pricey, starting from $560 (rack rate is 19,000 rubles) plus 18-percent tax, depending on the type or room and booking, and breakfast is extra, but what would you expect from the five-star hotel, which once played host to U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, U.S. Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Secretaries of State Made?leine Albright and Colin Powell, U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice; pop and movie stars such as Catherine Deneuve, Enrique Iglesias, Patricia Kaas, Natalia Oreiro, Eros Ramazzotti, Mylene Farmer, A-ha!, Depeche Mode, the Eagles, Modern Talking and many others.
So, you've got the keys, and after getting settled have a little time to spare before going to dinner. Why not take a short tour then? The hotel has pretty much everything you may need during your stay: 24-hour health and fitness club with heated indoor pool on the ground floor and no extra charge for using it, Carita Beauty Spa (10 a.m. - 10 p.m.), 24-hour laundry & dry cleaning service, jewelry, gift shop and flower shop open to 10 p.m. If you're meeting your business partners for dinner, you may want to take advantage of the unique atmosphere of Grand Alexander Restaurant, created by ornate chandeliers, massive gold harp and intimate tables offering modern French cuisine (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.); other dining choices include Samobranka - the Russian for "magic tablecloth," which offers the all-day dining with European, Russian, American and Oriental themes (6:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.), and the last but not the least is Russky Pogrebok, with its 18th-century-style setting and nighttime Russian folk music, where you will be treated to authentic Russian cuisine (6 p.m. - 10 p.m.).
Business comes before pleasure, but once the I's have been dotted, you can simply drift to the lobby bar (8:30 a.m. - 2 a.m.) and listen to live music or just relax to the sound of dripping water in the fountain coffee lounge. The hotel offers quite extensive business facilities - over 850 square meters of flexible meeting and exhibit space, including eight breakout rooms; simultaneous translation and audiovisual aids are also available upon request.
While staying at Marriott Grand you come to realize that it stands up to its name - Grand, and offers the comfort you would normally receive at a Marriott hotel anywhere. More?over, it also offers benefits under the award-winning frequent traveler Marriott Rewards program. Indeed, in 2006 the Marriott Grand hotel achieved 92 percent in Guest Overall Satisfaction as part of Marriott World?wide Service & Quality Program and 92 percent in the company's Quality Control Brand audit.
"Take care of the associates and they will take good care of the guest," ruled company founder John W. Marriott,
Sr. This is a cornerstone of the company's human resources policy. The hotel boasts 53 employees who have worked here ever since its opening back in 1997. The independent source for hotels and traveling www.tripadvisor.com gives the hotel an average 4 by clients' references, which is also confirmed by the quite high rate of returning clients - 28 percent. The Marriott Grand hotel is managed by Interstate Hotels & Resort, the United States' biggest independent management company; the company also manages the Marriott Royal Aurora and the Marriott Tverskaya.
By Alisa Axelrod
The Moscow News