Will Lotte Hotel make it in Moscow?

By Bae Ji-sook

It is always exhilarating to learn of the opening of a top class hotel in a cosmopolitan city ㅡ thinking of all the glamour, luxury and most of all, comfortableness.

The news of Lotte Hotel, the largest indigenous hotel brand here, opening a luxury branch in Moscow was the talk-of-the-town for quite a while. The management said the hotel “shocked” Muscovites with its high-end service and gorgeous facilities, and that it was rapidly gaining a reputation among visitors who sought “real luxury.”

I was invited to the hotel to see if they were telling the truth ㅡ and yes, it was mostly true, though several things needed to be added.

Gray city, golden hotel

Moscow is more of a gray city. It was September but the mercury fell to near 10 degrees Celsius. The sky was mostly dark and the wind sneaked inside my jacket chilling me. The hotel fits quite well with the grey concrete color that dominates the Arbat District and its surrounding area. Arabat is the heart of Moscow’s economy, culture and politics.

The hotel provides a breath of fresh air ㅡ the interior was all bling bling; gold ornaments adorned every inch of the walls while heavy marble paved the hallway, decorated with wild flowers.

At the lobby lounge, an LED screen showed abstract images of modern art all day long. A hotel promoter explained that Russians like “comprehensive and multi-dimensional images.” The lounge serves a wide range of beverages and some snacks.

The club lounge for distinguished guests is all about exclusivity and luxury. Mahogany furniture and cigar rooms are heavy but handsome.

The best rooms

The hotel’s rooms are probably the most impressive. Targeting more than 50 percent of its guests from countries in the western hemisphere, the rooms are full of state-of-the-art equipment.

The multi-functioning-phone provides alarm services and tourist information as well as music. The trendiest music ranging from dance to classical is ready and played even in the bathroom.

The bed, the most important factor in choosing a hotel, was also satisfactory. It was firm enough and the linen was crisp. There are some Korean pillows inside the closet for Korean tourists and of course, those who like stiffer pillows.

The amenities equipped in the bathroom were from Molton Brown, the high-end eco-friendly cosmetic company. In the suites, the amenities are upgraded to Bvulgari.

Distinguished food

The Pierre Gagnaire Les Menus, a sister restaurant of Pierre Gagnaire in Seoul, is also full of gold ornaments sparkling amid a dark interior. The menu is more casual ㅡ unlike Seoul’s 30-dish dinner course ㅡ consisting mostly of three to four dishes and is more conventional.

Did Gagnaire, the three-Michelin-star chef, stop his exploration into the gastronomic world? “The menu will become wider and experimental as time goes by. At the moment, we are hoping to attract people with conventional yet elegant dishes,” the hotel promoter said.

Try the desserts ㅡ they are fabulous with the scent of sugar and honey as well as various fruits lingering on the tongue for a long time. It is a great substitute for the rather salty Russian dishes.

Opening doors to the new service chapter

Tour guide Choi Yu-ri said, “Smile, laughter or being-bubbly isn’t really the cup of tea for Russians. They are nice, but usually cold. It is quite hard to see Russians smile even in the hospitality industry. Even at top class hotels, you don’t really get to meet smiling staff.”

This is true and it is delightful to see staff smiling and saying hello to you first at the hotel ㅡ not something you get that often in Moscow, not even in other luxury hotels.

Overall, Lotte Hotel Moscow is pretty much a delightful place to stay. It does need some improvements, though. The gym was rather small and the water supply system did not meet my need to have a hot bath at the end of the night.

Some of the amenities in the drawers were unfilled at my arrival and Internet reception speed was too slow to do anything.

The fact that traveling or touring Moscow is not so easy is also of concern: I had to queue up for more than two hours to get out of immigration and the officers were less than friendly. The cold weather and short daylights could be a challenge, too.

If you dare to take the challenge and enjoy a Russian city yet are holding on to some sense of Korean hospitality, be sure to book rooms at Lotte.