No rooms: what were the main hotels in Moscow during the USSR?

Modern city hotels have everything from large spa areas to popular restaurants and bars, where both foreign tourists and the heroes of the capital’s social life like to gather. But in hotels during the USSR everything was different. In this case, we can say that Soviet hospitality was rather a contradiction. Let’s start with the fact that most hotels were aimed at foreign tourists who came to the capital. Soviet citizens were almost always greeted at hotel receptions with a sign that said “no vacancies”. Only those who had a “reservation” with a travel document were guaranteed to enter the city hotel. Therefore, most often in Moscow hotels one could meet Soviet artists, athletes, engineers, diplomats or foreign tourists.

Another interesting fact is that the accommodation of Soviet tourists in many hotels did not mean rest in the usual sense. First, even paying for a room did not guarantee that you would spend the night there alone. Often one bed was sold, so the room often had to be shared with a neighbor. Second, it was forbidden for an unregistered couple to share a room. After 23:00, it was almost impossible to get into the room, as all hotels were closed and unregistered citizens went out into the streets.

But among all this there were hotels, which are now commonly called elite. There were always places for people who were ready to pay for comfort. Friendly staff were waiting for them at the reception, and each room was serviced by room service. In this article we will talk about the five main hotels in Moscow, where Soviet luxury was born.

The Moscow Hotel on Okhotny Ryad largely determined the style of Soviet architecture. Against the background of the pre-revolutionary “Metropol” and “National”, by Stalin’s order, a completely different building was to appear, which would contrast with them. The first sketch of the future hotel was approved personally by the Secretary General. There is even an urban legend that Stalin could not decide what exactly the facade of the building should be, which is why it turned out to be somewhat asymmetrical from the central axis.

Nothing was spared for the hotel, all the details, down to the door handles and cornices, were specially designed, and marble taken from the then-demolished Cathedral of Christ the Savior was used for decoration. But at the same time, “Moscow” was considered far from the most expensive hotel in the capital. Although it was he who became a symbol of the USSR in the West. This particular building facade is depicted on the label of the most famous Russian vodka brand, which later began to be imported to the United States. Foreign stars who came to Moscow preferred to stay in the Metropol, but they also visited the local Moskovsky restaurant, which was a meeting place for the city’s elite. Rumor has it that it was here that Sophia Loren dined several times during her visit to the capital.

The world-famous Rossiya Hotel was located on the Kremlin embankment. In general, initially the eighth Stalinist skyscraper was supposed to appear on this site. It was assumed that it would be the most significant building in the entire USSR, but after Stalin’s death in 1953, the project was frozen, and 10 years later construction resumed, but this time the largest hotel in the capital was to open on this site. . And in 1967, opposite the Kremlin walls, the Rossiya Hotel was opened – the first to be accessible not only to foreigners, but also to local residents. There were libraries, concert halls, a cinema and other entertainment. And if only the rich could stay in the rooms, then the infrastructure would be available to all segments of society.

It would seem that this place could now become the epicenter of metropolitan life. But fate decreed otherwise. On February 25, 1977, the largest fire in the history of the Soviet Union occurred in the immediate vicinity of the Kremlin, almost destroying the main hotel of the capital. According to official figures, 42 people died in the fire, and the tragedy itself was remembered as one of the worst terrorist attacks in the USSR. And although after that “Russia” was closed for replacement of all communications and subsequent major repairs, that day still could not be erased from the memory of the Soviet population. Therefore, on January 1, 2006, the legendary hotel was closed, and six years later the foundation of the current Zaryadye Park was laid here.

Many hotels in the USSR were built for the 1980 Olympics. One of them was the “Cosmos” at VDNKh. The 25-story hotel building stood out among the others not only for its height, but also for its original horseshoe-shaped facade. Initially, it was assumed that wealthy foreigners who came to see the Soviet Union would stay here. But later it became popular with wealthy locals.

By the way, here is a fact that you can blink for a long time: for the first time in the USSR, a modern technological solution appeared in the “Cosmos”, which consisted in using a key card to access the room. Let’s remember that it was almost 45 years ago. In addition, there were several swimming pools, a bowling alley, a spacious underground parking lot and many popular bars and restaurants. By the way, at present, the “Cosmos” still operates and even bears the title of the largest hotel in Russia.

“Intourist” is a place with the strangest reputation in the Soviet Union. On the one hand, this is a first-class hotel that many Soviet citizens could not afford, on the other hand, it is a place where all the metropolitan filth is concentrated. Let’s start with the fact that at the time of construction the Intourist building was one of the tallest buildings in the capital. Here were opened the first metropolitan bars, once focused exclusively on serving foreign tourists, and restaurants regularly celebrating the Soviet stage in the person of Alla Pugacheva and Joseph Kobzon. Until 1985, Intourist had three restaurants: Starry Sky, Central and Russian Hall. The best chefs of the capital worked here. What can we say, even Joseph Stalin’s personal chef once cooked here, because at that time many people dreamed of working in the kitchen of the main hotel. But despite this, Intourist gained fame and was popularly known as the place where Soviet prostitution began. It was here that one could most often meet women waiting near the entrance to the hotel for cars of Soviet diplomats, foreign tourists or just rich guests.

In the early 2000s, Luzhkov ordered the demolition of a building that reminded him of a “rotten tooth”. Later, on the same site, a five-star hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, was opened, which still welcomes guests today.

The seventh Stalin skyscraper was opened in 1957. By the way, the project listed the hotel as “Dorogomilovo”, but since the opening year marked the 300th anniversary of Ukraine’s unification with Russia, it was decided to give the new hotel the name “Ukraine”. The infrastructure was really impressive; the central building had 34 floors and 1026 rooms, and in the side buildings there were about 250 residential apartments. 800 staff served the guests. The building had air conditioning and a dust removal system, its own telephone exchange with several thousand numbers, as well as a post office, a savings bank, a telegraph office, several shops and a cafe. The hotel’s interiors were also particularly magnificent: natural parquet, stucco, bronze chandeliers, massive furniture. Also, the special pride of “Ukraine” is the collection of paintings, one of the richest collections of Soviet art.

In 2005 it was completely overhauled and soon after the international management company Radisson took the hotel under its wing.