The deadline came and passed without incident and occupants were allowed to return after Russian police and sniffer dogs had searched the hotel, Mason said.
The longest any of the evacuees were out of the building was 1 1/2 hours, said Mason.
The night manager at the hotel's Americom Business Services Center, Ilya Yengurazov, said once guests, workers and visitors were allowed to return to the hotel, the mood was fairly relaxed.
"The lobby bar filled up with people by 10 o'clock," he said.
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