The Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel has a new general manager, and his introduction has been in keeping with the charged atmosphere that has marked that establishment's recent history.


Though John Luce has formally taken over the office once held by Richard Mason and said he has every intention of staying there, full approval of his position by the board that governs the hotel complex was hamstrung by politics.


"He is what you might term as acting general manager, because there hasn't been an official approval of him," said Paul Tatum, president of Americom Business Centers, Inc. and a member of the complex's board. The board rejected a candidate to be general manager of Americom, Tatum said, adding, "We are withholding our approval until we get some movement from their side."


The Radisson Slavjanskaya complex, which includes the hotel and the Americom Business Center, is owned by a three-headed joint venture that includes the Moscow City Property Committee, Radisson Hotels International and Americom. Their working relationship has been anything but harmonious.


Tatum said that withholding his approval of Luce, who is charged with managing the 430-room hotel, came in response to the "game" being played by the joint venture's board. Umar Dzhabrailov, the acting general director of the joint venture that runs the hotel and business center, could not be reached for comment Monday.


Luce said he considers his position to be firm, and has taken up permanent residence in the hotel with his wife, Jacqueline. Luce is a 30-year veteran of the hotel industry and a much-honored 20-year Radisson employee. He comes to Moscow from the 580-room Radisson Inn Maingate near Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.


"It's very infrequent that there isn't controversy surrounding the hotel business," he said. "That's the business I'm in and I'm accustomed to it. Hopefully, I can handle it."