The Metropol Hotel and A Gentleman in Moscow

As viewed from a side street. Having read the book, the roof parapets take on a whole new meaning!

      While my suite in the Baltschug hotel was about as nice as any hotel accommodation I have enjoyed, I vowed on this trip to stay at the Metropol Hotel because my book club had just finished reading A Gentleman in Moscow. If you have read it, you'll understand why. If you haven't read it, I can recommend it. But put simply, the book takes place in the hotel.
      This wasn't my first time to stay in the hotel. I was there in January 2014 and had a most enjoyable stay except for the fact that the swimming pool, which was one of the reasons I chose the hotel, was closed for cleaning. I gently mentioned this to the conceirge one day and much to my astonishment, she invited me to enjoy their Sunday tea as compensation. I subsequently posted this photo.

The lobby bar that plays a prominent role in the book

This time, the hotel was completely full, perhaps in part as a result of the book. (They even had a Gentleman in Moscow package.) Those who have stayed in the hotel know that the public spaces are very grand, but the typical floor corridors are quite plain, and the quality of the rooms can vary. It's hard to understand why they haven't improved the appearance of the typical floor corridors, although it may be that they want to keep the original ambience. I was told that some rooms have been renovated. Here are a few more photos for my book club members.

What were they thinking? (This could easily be made more inviting. See below)

Unfortunately, I was in one that hadn't been renovated. Not only that, but I booked a standard king size bed room but made the mistake of saying I was just a single person to avoid having to pay for two breakfasts, I ended up in one of the smallest rooms on the floor. (I won't post a photo because I don't want to be reminded of it.  But you can get an idea from the floor plan below!)

If you stay, I strongly recommend that you ask for a renovated room since the others can be quite tired, despite a relatively high price. (I paid more than 3 times what I paid in rubles four years ago.)

A lovely room where breakfast is served

     Because the hotel was so busy, the overall experience was not as good as last time. The staff, who are generally very accommodating, had a hard time keeping the breakfast buffet fully stocked.
     But if I'm not at the Baltschug, I will probably stay at the Metropol again the next time I'm in Moscow, especially since Julia Sergeeva, Guest Relations and Executive Lounge Manager acknowledged that I had experienced some unfortunate problems and offered to take better care of me next time!

The original elevators, or what appear to be the original elevators. I always took the stairs, just in case!

A book on the history of the hotel could be found in every room. I particuarly liked this quote, which is so apt.

I know. I know. First world problems. But often the choice of hotel can significantly influence one's stay in a city. I know, because as you'll see in some subsequent blogs, I also had an unfortunate experience at a Radisson in Sochi, but wonderful experiences in hotels in Adler, Tbilisi, and Baku.