All 110 standard and superior guest rooms now have hypoallergenic beds with ornate leather style headboards and comfortable armchairs. Each bathroom has improved lighting with a large mirror in an ornate sculptural frame, with two lamps fixed on either side. The design of curtains and upholstery follow patterns discovered on Russian cardboard sketches from the 19th century and both US company ‘Brunschwig et fils’ and ‘ARS Limited of London’ have skilfully reproduced these intricate fabric designs. A local carpenter has handmade the wooden furniture and traditional Russian etchings and pictures with views of St Petersburg add an authentic and personalised touch.
French designer Michel Jouannet has undertaken this extensive renovation programme focusing on making the rooms intimate, whilst giving the long hallways of the hotel a warmer rich red décor. Michel Jouannet has also worked at the Grand Hotel Europe’s sister properties, the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and the Copacabana Palace in Rio.
All of the hotel’s 301 guest rooms have now been equipped with pop-up flat screen television sets with an integrated DVD player. The latest state-of-the-art Wi-Fi internet access is now available throughout the hotel including all guest rooms, conference and public areas.
The Grand Hotel Europe’s renovation programme will continue over the summer with the upgrade of the hotel’s main entrance and a change of focus in the Caviar Bar and Restaurant to give it a more Russian feel. The light and airy Mezzanine Café, popular for leisure and business meetings, will have new ‘rotin’ furniture. The second phase of the project will continue through 2007 with the refurbishment of another 90 guest rooms with a planned expenditure of US$8 million
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd acquired the majority share of the Grand Hotel Europe in February 2005. The hotel is a historical landmark dating from 1824, located in the heart of St. Petersburg, across from the Shostakovich Philharmonic, next to the Russian Museum and the Moussorgsky opera and ballet theatre and within walking distance of the Hermitage Museum and the Winter Palace Square. The hotel’s 301 rooms include 89 suites, 17 of which have terraces overlooking the Russian Museum in Arts Square. It has seven restaurants and bars that include the art nouveau splendour of L’Europe, serving French and European specialities beneath an original stained glass ceiling.
Downloadable high resolution photography of the Grand Hotel Europe is available at www.orient-expressimages.com or visit www.grandhoteleurope.com
For further information, please contact:
Fiona Duthie
Senior Public Relations Executive
Orient-Express Hotels
Tel: 020 7921 4069
E-mail: fiona.duthie@orient-express.com
www.orient-express.com
