Four Seasons' reconstructed Soviet hotel to open in August 2014
by Helen Andrews | 29 Apr 2014
The hotel will feature a glass-roofed lap pool in the 180-bedroom hotel’s central courtyard as well as an adjacent whirlpool and café / Four Seasons
Four Seasons Moscow – the hotel operator’s second Russian site after its Four Seasons Hotel Lions Palace St Petersburg – will open in August in a prime location adjacent to Red Square and the Kremlin.
On the fifth floor of the 15-storey building, there is a 3,000sq m (33,000sq ft) spa featuring 14 treatment rooms, including three couples' suites, plus a hair salon and nail bar. The hotel also has a 24-hour fitness centre.
There will also be a glass-roofed lap pool in the 41-suite, 180-bedroom hotel’s central courtyard as well as an adjacent whirlpool and café.
Originally named Hotel Moskva when it opened in 1935, the Soviet hotel was designed by architect Alexey Shchusev with a central portico and a row of classical columns and two asymmetrical wings. Historians suspect that Stalin approved two plans for the hotel, not realising they were alternatives – therefore both constructivist and Stalinist-style wings were built.
The Hotel Moskva's distinctive silhouette is immortalised in a line drawing on the label of Russia's famous Stolichnaya vodka.
The hotel closed in 2002 for reconstruction and demolished in 2013. Now, the totally rebuilt property replicates the original exterior architecture in accordance with local government regulations – allowing natural light into all public areas – including 1,405sq m (15,123sq ft) of function space.
Five function rooms, located across two floors, accompany two ballrooms – one which seats up to 400 people and another for up to 150.
In addition to the hotel, the complex includes residences, a shopping centre, a cultural and entertainment centre and office space.
Four Seasons Moscow – the hotel operator’s second Russian site after its Four Seasons Hotel Lions Palace St Petersburg – will open in August in a prime location adjacent to Red Square and the Kremlin. On the fifth floor of the 15-storey building, there is a 3,000sq m (33,000sq ft) spa featuring 14 treatment rooms, including three couples' suites, plus a hair salon and nail bar. The hotel also has
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