August 2009
For this "Special Russia" newsletter,
Michel Monticone, Managing Director of HRCI is interviewing some key actors of the Hospitality market in Russia about their hotels and the current economic situation.
Jan Chovanec, General Manager at the Swissotel Krasnye Holmy Moscow
Michel: As you know there will be several hotels openings in the next few months and years in Moscow so how would you face competition?
Jan: I believe every new hotel especially in the 4/5 star category is in competition but before I say more, I would like to address another issue:
I believe this downturn, this crisis, or whatever we call it here, is actually very beneficial to Russian business community. Learn More
Maria Bek, Area Human Resources Manager for Russia Hyatt Hotels
Michel: What is perspective of development for Hyatt Hotels in Moscow and Russia in the next months and years?
Maria: As you know, we have now 3 hotels in Russia, 2 in Moscow, one in Ekaterinburg, here in Moscow, the Ararat is doing well, the new one , the Grand Hyatt Moscow Residences and Spa is open from April 2009 but not fully, at the moment we operate only 1 floor with a Restaurant and Spa coming early next year. Learn More
Rezidor announces the Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow
Currently under extensive renovation, the new Radisson Royal Hotel featuring 507 guest rooms and 38 serviced apartments is scheduled to open its doors on December 1st 2009.
Presently known as 'Hotel Ukraina', Rezidor's new flagship in the Russian capital is one of the city's most famous landmarks. Currently under extensive renovation, the new Radisson Royal Hotel featuring 507 guest rooms and 38 serviced apartments is scheduled to open its doors on December 1st 2009.
'This hotel is another milestone in our history', remarks 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.
'The choice of The Rezidor Hotel Group as our long-term partner facilitates in achieving our main aim: turning The Ukraina into a world class hotel, arguably the finest in the city, while simultaneously preserving the unique spirit of this historic site. We are confident that the Rezidor team will provide superior management and service which will further draw travellers to our capital as well as welcome Moscow residents to rediscover the hotel,' notes Aleksey Mikushko, General Director of the JSC Ukraina Hotel.
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 and sophisticated Japanese restaurant. A bar on the 31st floor with breathtaking views over Moscow is bound to become a favourite place for the city's 'in' crowd.
For meetings and events the hotel will offer a top 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.
Hospitality Will Not Be Shaken
HRCI extends our deepest sympathies and support to those who were affected by the recent bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia. In times like these, we must stay together and remember that we have comrades whom we can turn to.
We salute all staff members of the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels who assisted with keeping the guests safe. |
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Dagmar Woodward is back from the Middle East to take the helm of the Jumeirah Frankfurt. She briefly was the General Manager of Dubai’s Mina A’Salam, after being the General Manager of Paris’ Royal Monceau.
Emmanuel Richardet has been appointed General Manager for the Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa in Spain, taking over from Gregory de Clerck. Richardet was most recently the General Manager at Le Méridien Dona Filipa & San Lorenzo Golf Resort in Portugal.
Alexandre Fougerole is the opening General Manager of the Radisson Blue Metropolitain in Paris. He was previously in the same capacity at the Hotel Astor Saint Honoré, also in Paris. Fougerole is also a former General Manager of Paris’ Montalembert.
Franck Brionne has been appointed General Manager of the new La Réserve in Ramatuelle, near St. Tropez, sister property to La Réserve in Geneva. He was previously the General Manager of Le Lana in Courchevel, and spent nine years in various positions at the Byblos (both in St. Tropez and Courchevel).
General Manager Stefan Simkovics will be opening the Four Seasons Beirut, temporarily abandoning the long-delayed Four Seasons Beijing. Simkovics had originally joined Four Seasons in 1981 as Executive Assistant Manager at the Pierre in New York
The Maybourne Hotel Group has promoted Mark Carnazzola to the newly created position of Area Director of Finance, London. He was most recently the Director of Finance at the Berkeley. He had previously served as Finance Manager at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, and as Regional Financial Controller with the Australian and New Zealand Mirvac hotels.
Hilton has named James Glover Vice President, Food and Beverage, for Europe. He is an industry veteran, who spent six years with Disneyland Paris, after a four-year stint at the Athenaeum InterContinental Athens. Glover previously spent fourteen years with Hilton International.
Hervé Laborde, the Director of Finance at the Four Seasons Geneva, has been promoted to Area Director of Finance, responsible for Geneva as well as the Four Seasons George Cinq and the Four Seasons Terre Blanche. He had been the Controller at the Hotel des Bergues since 1999 when it became the Four Seasons Geneva in 2005.
Claridges’s has promoted Steve Allen to Chef de Cuisine, taking over from Mark Sargeant who is now handling publishing and television ventures for Gordon Ramsay. Allen was most recently the Head Chef for the hotel.
With Oberoi, General Manager Marc Denton goes from the Oberoi Bali to the Oberoi Rajvilas. He had originally joined the company in 2006 as General Manager of the Oberoi Lombok.
Andrew Hendrian has been named General Manager of the Leela Palace Kempinski Bangalore. He was most recently the General Manager at the Hyatt Regency Dubai. He had previously overseen the Hyatt Regency Cologne, the Grand Hyatt Dubai, and the Grand Hyatt Berlin.
Frédéric Lebègue will be the opening General Manager of the luxe Beach House at Manafaru, a Waldorf Astoria Collection, in the Maldives. He was previously the Director of Operations at the Hilton Maldives.
Christian Gérart has joined the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa in Bali as Executive Assistant Manager-Food and Beverage. He was most recently the Food and Beverage Manager at the Oberoi, Mauritius.
Tracey Fentem has joined the St. Regis Bora Bora as Director of Sales and Marketing. For the past year, she had been with Wymara on Turks and Caicos as Director of Sales and Marketing. Previously, she had overseen sales and marketing at the Hotel Derek in Houston and for Ritz-Carlton for seven years.
Philip Barnes has been named Regional Vice President, United Arab Emirates and General Manager for the Fairmont Dubai. He replaces former Fairmont Dubai General Manager Kamal Naamani who joins the pre-opening team of the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai as General Manager. Barnes had previously served as General Manager at the Fairmont Vancouver and, most recently, as Regional Vice President, Middle East, for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, based in Dubai.
Jean-Marc Michel has joined Constance Resorts as General Manager of the Ephelia Resort in the Seychelles. For the past two years, he had served as Resort Manager for One&Only Le St. Géran. He had previously served in upper management roles at Reid's Palace and the Carénage Bay Resort.
Jean Pierre Chaumard has been named General Manager of Le Royal Mansour Marrakech, set to open in November. He had previously overseen the Royal Palm in Mauritius for twenty years and served at La Mamounia, the Royal Evian and managed the hotel of the late Shah of Iran, the Empereur Pahlavi. Romain Meiran, formerly at Le Meurice in Paris, joins Chaumard as Deputy General Manager. Yannick Alléno, the Three-Michelin-Starred Chef of Le Meurice, will be consulting for the restaurant.
Claude Rath has been named General Manager of the Mövenpick Resort & Thalasso in Sousse, Tunisia. He was most recently at Le Méridien Singapore, which he headed up as General Manager for the past three years.
Christophe Pagni has been named Resident Manager for the Grand Hôtel du Lagon on Réunion Island. He had previously served in various management positions for Paesotel e Caselle Resort, the Hyatt Regency Casablanca and the Hyatt Regency Riyadh. |
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