Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

Russia is making a determined pitch to become a major tourist destination by 2016.

Despite being home to some great attractions – from Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow to the famed Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg – Russia has struggled to attract visitors.

It suffers from having some of the most expensive hotels in the world, an inadequate tourism infrastructure, and a reputation for surly service and bureaucracy.

“We are going to do everything possible to make foreign visitors feel comfortable in Russia,” the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Sport, Nadezhda Nazina, told Agence France Presse.

She said the Russian government would soon be considering a 352 billion ruble (£7.2 billion/$11.5 billion) plan to improve infrastructure and launch a major advertising campaign.

Russia attracted only 2.3 million foreign visitors last year, according to the federal tourism agency, placing it far below the top destinations for international tourists. The top two, France and the United States, attracted 74 million and 55 million visitors respectively in 2009, according to the World Tourism Organisation.

The Russians are looking to attract up to 40 million tourists annually within five years, but Maya Lomidze, the Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, said she didn’t think this was feasible.

“Too many conditions would have to be met for this plan to be realised. The main necessity is that we have hotels at affordable prices. Russia is a very expensive country,” she said.

by Andy Moreton

Moscow is notoriously expensive, but Luxique will get you the best rates possible at the Baltschug Kempinski or the Golden Apple Boutique.

Extreme heat and smog has left residents and tourists in Moscow gasping for air.

The smog has been fuelled by dozens of forest and peat fires, which have been burning outside the Russian capital amid soaring temperatures. Even famous landmarks such as Red Square have been enveloped.

The temperature has hit a record 38 degrees Celsius (99F) in a heatwave that’s said to have wrecked a fifth of Russia’s arable land. The month of July has been the hottest since records began 130 years ago.

As harmful impurities in the air exceeded normal levels by up to eight times, doctors advised people to stay indoors as much as possible with windows shut, and cover their faces with scarves or masks when out in the street.

Moscow is home to about ten million people and has about 4 million foreign visitors a year.

by Andy Moreton

Most of the time, the Russian capital is a cool place to visit! Have a look at the two luxury hotels in Moscow on Luxique’s list.

A Soviet–era landmark in the centre of Moscow has re-opened as a new luxury hotel in Moscow after a three-year renovation.

The former Hotel Ukraina was one of the ‘Seven Sisters’, an iconic set of skyscrapers built under Stalin between 1947 and 1953 to rival the structures springing up in capitalist cities such as New York.

Built in an elaborate gothic style with a ‘wedding-cake’construction and spires, they were intended to symbolize Soviet power and achievement.

The luxury hotel, part of the Rezidor Group, is now known as the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow. The extensive renovation has seen 506 rooms in the building refurbished, along with 36 suites and apartments.

Situated close to Red Square in the commercial centre of Moscow, the hotel has six restaurants and bars, ranging from Japanese to Iranian, Italian to Russian, and a floating yacht restaurant that runs a two-hour trip along the river. There are also 1,200 original works of art.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers two fine luxury hotels in Moscow – the Baltschug Kempinski and the Golden Apple Boutique.

One of Moscow’s three major airports created controversy when it decided to re-name its terminals.

The problem arose because the authorities at Sheremetyevo decided to use letters from the English alphabet instead of the Cyrillic familiar to millions of Russians.

MPs said the move violated the constitution and made life difficult for Russian speakers. It was nothing less than a betrayal of the Russian language, they said.

In an official complaint to the Russian government, they demanded that the authorities revert to the old system of naming terminals after numbers rather than letters.

*************
When you’ve made the journey from the airport and are settling down in your luxury hotel in Moscow, you might notice that it’s a little quieter outside.

Russia’s state parliament, the Duma, is considering proposals to restrict the use of car sirens that allow some drivers to by-pass traffic regulations.

The sirens – known as ‘migalki’ – are used by businessmen and state officials to move rapidly through traffic jams, but it’s been suggested that far too many people are enjoying the privilege.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re heading to the Russian capital, check out Luxique’s two luxury hotels in Moscow – the Baltschug Kempinski and the Golden Apple Boutique.

A survey has found that Moscow, Abu Dhabi and New York City have the world’s most expensive hotel rooms.

Even though there was a worldwide decrease in hotel rates in 2009 because of the economic climate, the average cost of a room in Moscow was $420 (£268) a night. It’s the fifth year in a row that the Russian capital has had the dubious honour of topping the list.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was the second-most expensive, with a room costing about $350 (£224) per night on average.

New York City, which is famous for its sky-high luxury hotel rates, came in third with a room costing about $320 (£205) per night, despite most Manhattan hotels lowering their prices last year.

Average room rates in London fell by five per cent to £151 ($236), placing the capital in 29th position on the list.

Of course, with the economic downturn still being felt, it continues to be a buyers’ market, with hotel chains seeking to entice travellers with cut-price deals. Luxique can secure the best possible rates at luxury hotels throughout the world. Check out our unrivalled selection!

by Andy Moreton