Hospitality Design - January/February 2012 - 74

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RUSSIA

out of the red
By JoAnn Greco
A new afﬂuence and a corresponding explosion of demanding and well-traveled citizens are putting Russia—as well as the breakaway Soviet Union nations collectively referred to as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—top of mind for a host of hotel developers.

Noteworthy Newcomers
One of the most highly anticipated hotels, now slated for a May opening, is the Four Seasons Lion Palace in St. Petersburg. The group also plans to open a hotel in the happening beachside resort city of Baku in Azerbaijan, and a Moscow property—a rebuild of the historic Hotel Moskva—is scheduled to open in 2014. “As we continue to see a tremendous amount of outbound business from Russia to areas where we offer hotels and resorts in Europe and Asia, it’s important that this public becomes familiar with the Four Seasons product so that when they travel, they think of us,” says Scott Woroch, executive vice president of worldwide development for the brand. Just two blocks from the Winter Palace and the Hermitage, the Four Seasons St. Petersburg is an adaptive reuse of an 1820 palace by ReardonSmith Architects. Interiors are the last project by now-retired Cheryl Rowley of Beverly Hills, who says the building’s neoclassic origins were a driving force: “While many of our past projects have been grounded in classic design, none had been quite so literal as was required here.” A light, clear palette, reﬂective of the city’s renowned sky blue- and yellowhued buildings, dominates. Reception and concierge desks emulate 19thcentury period furniture, while guestrooms feature ivory moldings and cabinetry, offset by gilt and back lacquer accents, and mahogany, walnut, and cherry woods. The property’s arrival follows another buzzworthy newcomer to the city, Starwood’s W, which debuted in the spring with 137 rooms and suites, a Bliss Spa, an Alain Ducasse restaurant, and a rooftop bar, all designed by Antonio Citterio. It joined ﬁve other Starwood properties in the region, followed by the November opening of a Sheraton in Baku. The two hotels signal the start of Starwood’s renewed activity in the region; in the next few years, it plans to unveil a Four Points in Zaporozhye, Ukraine, and a slew of Russian Sheratons in Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, and Perm. develops in and between the countries in the region, there’s a growing need for business travelers to stay in places they understand from their travels around the rest of the world.” It won’t be an easy transition, though. Russia, in particular, still has a demanding visa process for visitors, and the entire region’s byzantine rules and Soviet-era bureaucracies can present challenges for developers. “The permit process is quite cumbersome,” says Karl Pinault, executive director for design and construction at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. “There’s not a lot of ﬂexibility. They tend to rely on old formulas and

Tricky Business
The activity makes sense, say experts. “For too long, there haven’t been many internationally branded hotels in these areas,” observes Alexander Gospodinov, author of a 2011 market overview, Please Make Up the Room: Your Guide to Branded Hotel Market in Russia, the CIS and Georgia, from the London-based consultancy Richard Chancellor Ltd. “As business

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