Review: Marriott Royal Aurora, Moscow

If you really want to splash out then pay around three times as much for the brand new Ritz-Carlton which opened this summer but to mixed reviews.

The Marriott Royal Aurora was built and is still owned by a large Russian construction company. It opened in 1999 under the Marriott brand name and the benefit of the staff training that comes with this franchise is evident.

It is true that the Russian hospitality sector has travelled light years since the days of communism when guests were treated as a nuisance best ignored. But this 'cannot do' attitude still persists in some hotels.

Upgrading staff

The 15 minutes of training that is mandatory for all staff in the Marriott hotels in Moscow is time well spent. AME Info found staff courteous and responsive to general enquiries about getting around the city.

The palatial art nouveau style lobby area will also appeal to guests from the Middle East who like their coffee while watching the world go by. On the second floor there is an excellent steak restaurant, last year listed by Forbes magazine as one of its global top 10, and the Aurora restaurant serves breakfast and a dinner buffet.

The 231 spacious and well furnished guest rooms offer a variety of accommodation ranging from a modest bedroom to a large ambassador suite with connecting doors to add bedrooms. On the fifth floor there is a popular Executive Club lounge with complementary snack presentations and bar, plus Internet access. Wi-fi is available in all the rooms and satellite TV.

Business first

This is mainly a business hotel and there are six meeting rooms for up to 400 people. But being one block away from Bolshoi Theatre, presently undergoing a complete reconstruction, this is an ideal base for touring the Kremlin and other sites of Moscow.

You will be hard pushed to find a hotel in Moscow without some noise from construction sites these days. The city is awash with building projects like Dubai or Doha. But this is not especially intrusive at the Marriott Aurora.

You can also relax in the exquisite art nouveau swimming pool or flex your muscles in the fully equipped gymnasium. For ladies the beauty saloon caters to the whims of the fashionable Moscovites. No wonder this hotel gets such good reviews from its guests which is more than can be said for many of its rivals.

See also:
Review: Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa
Review: Moevenpick Tower and Suites
Review: Radisson SAS, Dubai Media City