Moscow currently boasts 40,373 hotel rooms, with international hotel chains managing 27 percent of the rooms, or 40 hotels. Over the last two years, Moscow saw a consistent increase in new hotel rooms operated by international hotel companies. There was an increase of 11 percent in...

Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow Situated just down the street from the Hotel National and near the Bolshoi Theater, the Ararat has been undergoing renovations and remodeling its rooms with contemporary designs by architect Tony Chi. The hotel's 211 rooms, including 26 suites, feature technology such as touch-free lighting...

In 2007-10, the Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow (formerly the Hotel Ukraina) underwent a $300 million transformation from Soviet behemoth to internationally branded luxury hotel. Now the hotel is rebuilding its training system to bring customer service up...

Approximately a year ago, pedestrians walking by the Yotel Times Square hotel in New York could marvel through a large glass window at Yobot, the world's first robotic hotel luggage handler that stores your luggage for you, without the awkward "Should I be tipping the bellboy?" moment. Alex Skoblo Partner and...

The $982.5 million sale of four development properties, including two luxury hotels, is moving Bidzina Ivanishvili a step closer to becoming a presidential candidate in Georgia and the Gutseriyev-Shishkhanov family closer to seizing the luxury hotel market in Moscow. The $982.5 million...

... information about the company, its products and services, special offers, news, photos and other entertaining data than online. And precisely speaking: various social media. Yelena Belashova General Manager, Crowne Plaza World Trade Centre Moscow Hotel The present is getting more and more influenced by virtual reality. It could now be almost impossible to find a person who knows nothing about the virtual world. Sharing all kinds of information, starting from personal thoughts and ending with present...

... the rise," and the Moscow government will invest $11 million into developing tourism in the city this year. The capital is also undergoing a massive beautification project to increase the total area of city parks fivefold in the next five years. Hotels in Moscow are ready for more tourists, and as the luxury segment is reaching a saturation point, operators are now aiming to capture the mid-market. Mid-market openings this year include Azimut Danilovskaya and Mercure Arbat. "Development...

... into May and reappear in September. Murmansk Population: 307,700 Main industries: Shipping, fishing City manager: Andrei Sysoyev Founded in 1916 Interesting fact: Murmansk is home to the tallest building in the Arctic, the 16-story Arktika hotel. Helpful contacts: Mikhail Sokolov, deputy city manager and chairman of the committee on economic development for the city of Murmansk (+7 815-245-0269; sokolovmy@murmanzkh.ru ); Alexei Veller, head of the municipality (+7 815-245-6464, gorsovet@polarnet...

... the market, continuing their growth in both number and scale. Their RevPAR (revenue per available room) often with relatively low conversion costs will appeal to operators and owners alike. So what will be the new rules of the game? Global budget hotel brands will emerge. Game changes will move quickly to take advantage of faster economic growth prospects and supply shortages in emerging markets. Loyalty programs will continue to drive recognition by guests. "The boomers" are a key...

... for two costs about 4,000 rubles ($135). More budget-conscious visitors should try Chzhen (4 Ulitsa Lukashevskovo; +7 4152-23-06-66) for Eurasian fusion. The pork shank comes highly recommended. Dinner for two costs about 2,000 rubles. Where to stay Hotel Avacha (61 Leningradskaya Ulitsa; +7 4152-42-72-01; avacha-hotel.ru ) is located in the city center and convenient from every bus line. It's recognized as the city's top hotel. Renting one of its 94 rooms, which range from standard to luxury, will...

... suicide bomb attack during 2010 New Year's Eve celebrations on Red Square has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, investigators said Friday. The plot was foiled after another suicide bomber was killed by explosives that accidentally detonated in her hotel room only hours before the planned attack. Investigators said Zeinap Suyunova fled Moscow for Volgograd after the hotel room blast damaged the explosives she planned to set off. (Reuters)

... this category of people." Cruise travel is seen to have a lot of potential in Russia because it can bypass some of the more entrenched problems of local tourism, including street markers only in Cyrillic, unsafe excursion routes and a lack of good hotels. Also attractive is its ability to minimize time spent on the infamous Russian roads. Government officials and tour operators expected the number of foreign tourists coming in by boat to soar after the government passed a law in July allowing...

... pizzas and pastas, including the exotic Tutti-Frutti pizza with Mozzarella cheese and a mix of tangerines, kiwis and strawberries instead of the traditional tomato sauce. Prices start at 159 rubles for pizza and at 139 rubles for pasta. Where to stay Hotel Metelitsa (14/1 Prospekt Mira; +7 391-227-6060; hotel-metelitsa.ru ) occupies a two-story, mansion-like building on a quiet street in the city center. The comfortable four-star hotel is favored by visiting local and foreign musicians and offers...

... BAKU, Azerbaijan — Security services in Azerbaijan say they have arrested 40 suspects and seized weapons as they thwarted a series of planned terror attacks against the Eurovision Song Contest. Targets included the song contest venue and major hotels housing foreigners, the National Security Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The statement said other plots included plans for an assassination attempt on President Ilham Aliyev in April, as well as attacks on religious pilgrimage sites and...

... bike clubs from cities located along the route discussed the proposal at a meeting of the Public Chamber last week. Bikers from the Fixed Gear Moscow group made the four-day trip to St. Petersburg last year and later wrote about the deplorable state of hotels and eateries in some areas on the route. The proposed route would be conveniently connected to interesting tourist destinations as well as good lodging and food services, according to VeloPiter. Proponents of the proposal plan to map out a possible...

... Vladivostok will become a university. Those living on the Far East Federal University’s new campus will enjoy three swimming pools, artificial waterfalls, a football pitch by the Pacific and seaside accommodations that more closely resemble an upscale hotel than student digs. Building work on the island is just one of many huge developments receiving their finishing touches around Vladivostok prior to the APEC gathering. But critics say that the future of these prestige projects is uncertain. Beginning...

... analytical group Da Vinci. "And any possible improvement in image has run up against internal politics and the European Union's reaction to it." Ukraine's high level of corruption has scared off some foreign investors, while skyrocketing hotel prices have made many football fans either cut short their stay or skip it altogether and opt to follow their team's fortunes on television. Based on the government's program, the state has spent some $6.6 billion from its budget on Euro 2012 preparations...

... were in sharp contrast to the earlier protests, which began in December against disputed State Duma elections and gathered tens of thousands of people who later peacefully dispersed. Protestors first gathered at the start of Tverskaya Ulitsa by the Hotel National in response to calls to meet on Manezh Square, only to find access blocked. Riot police then pushed them up the street, detaining people one by one as they moved up past the Ritz Carlton hotel. As they gathered, a man left the Ritz, entered...

... Police said Popov showed the businessmen the identification card of an aide to a Cabinet minister, without specifying whether the ID was Popov's or someone else's. Police detained Popov during a meeting with their fraud targets at the Zolotoye Koltso hotel after the handover of the first payment, 24 million rubles ($800,000). Kalinin was arrested later. The pair was convicted of attempted large-scale fraud and each sentenced to five years in prison. 179742

... Rust said he was ill-prepared for the landing because he had only a rudimentary knowledge of the city's geography. "I had to circle many times before I found Red Square," he said, adding that he managed to do so only thanks to the landmark Hotel Rossiya, which was torn down in 2006. He managed to bring the plane down safely on Moskvoretsky Bridge on the other side of St. Basil's Cathedral only because electricity cables that usually span it had been taken down. Rust was sentenced to four...