Vienna International to open 5-star Leading Hotel of the World near Moscow

The Astrum luxury hotel will open in Shelkovo near Moscow at the end of 2013. Owner of the property is Shelkowskij Holding, while management of the hotel will be in the hands of Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG (VI). Already one year before its grand opening, the 5-star luxury hotel has been accepted for membership in The Leading Hotels of the World as one of the world's best hotels on the Russian luxury hotel market. With a 3,400 m² spa and a 1,900 m² conference area, the hotel's focus is clearly on Vienna International's two greatest strengths: wellness holidays and conference tourism.

The newest high-end hotel in the greater Moscow region is currently being built on 27 floors in Shelkovo, around 20 km from the Russian capital, in an urban agglomeration with a population of 1 million. Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG has been involved from the beginning, assisting the 5-star hotel in product development, the conception process and the pre-opening phase, and will assume management of the new Leading Hotel of the World after it opens. "I am pleased that we are making good progress with our expansion on the Russian market. For the greater Moscow area, the Astrum Hotel represents something new in the sense of a city resort," says Dr. Andreas Karsten, CEO of Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG. "We expect that the hotel will become a new landmark with corresponding appeal in the greater Moscow region."

Already one year before its opening, the Astrum luxury hotel has been accepted for membership in the hotel alliance of The Leading Hotels of the World. "This is an indication that we have done our job well and that the hotel amenities and the planned services are of a high enough quality to merit this renowned seal of approval," says Martin Lachout, the Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG board member in charge of project development. "With our many years of experience in the luxury hotel segment, we know what our 5-star guests want. For 10 years, we have worked very well together with The Leading Hotels of the World, for example, in our 5-star Le Palais Hotel in Prague. We are now continuing this successful cooperation in Russia in order to offer more of our guests a seal of approval for the quality that we offer."

For Shelkowskij Holding, the company behind this lavish project, the exceptional theme hotel is a way to actively promote the Shelkovo region: "In addition to our other activities within the holding company, we see ourselves with this hotel project as a developer who assumes responsibility for the region," says Dmitry Barchenkov, CEO of Shelkowo Holding: "The hotel is an important prestige object for the region around Moscow, helping to boost the international profile as well as improving the infrastructure and employment situation in the Shelkovo region." The hotel is clearly positioned in line with the demands on Russia's luxury market, where special services are required if one wants to stand out. This includes a rooftop heliport as well as a private butler service.

Luxury wellness and medical spa

The Astrum Hotel, the first and only internationally managed luxury hotel outside of Moscow, will be run as a conference and relaxation oasis far from the stress of the big city. No expenses are being spared in this regard. The necessary privacy will be guaranteed by private spa suites and saunas, the repertoire of beauty treatments will be constantly complemented by products from big-name cosmetics producers, and the medical spa will offer a whole series of minor medical treatments such as minimal-invasive aesthetic medicine, alternative treatment methods and nutritional science as well as burnout prevention and treatment. The offer will also include post-operative care of cosmetic treatments performed at national beauty clinics plus comprehensive two-and-three-day preventive check-ups. An Ayurveda centre is also planned, with a team of physicians and specialists from India to offer guests a range of Ayurveda treatments.

Realising individual event concepts

As an operator of highly successful conference and event hotels, Vienna International Hotels & Resorts understands what guests need, and the unusually large conference area of the new Russian hotel will be designed accordingly. The 1,900 m² event area of the Astrum Hotels Shelkovo will occupy seven separate event rooms on three floors. A 335 m² conference hall with amphitheatre seating, a 600 m² event room, and five large meeting rooms will make it possible to hold events for up to 1,000 attendees. The result is an open platform for the realisation of a variety of creative concepts. A separate entrance to the conference area will minimise the impact of external events on hotel operations.

Culinary and international diversity

In addition to the main hotel restaurant, the Astrum Hotel Shelkovo will also feature a Japanese restaurant with a show kitchen as well as an intimate French à-la-carte restaurant on the 23rd floor offering panorama views and a seating capacity for 44 guests. A sky bar will also be housed on the same floor. Further facilities will include a fitness lounge, a lobby bar and an exclusive VIP club.

The composition of the hand-selected team has already begun: General Manager Frank Bauer will start choosing his international team in January, focusing especially on Japanese culinary masters as well as a French chef de cuisine.

Luxury design at every turn

Vienna International Hotels & Resorts has made a name for itself as a design-oriented company, and the Astrum Hotel Shelkovo will also feature a conceptual style.

Not far from Star City, Russia's Cosmonaut training centre, the theme of "space and time" will define the entire hotel in the form of design solutions and works of art in expressions ranging from antiquity all the way to the age of relativity.

The interiors were created by internationally renowned Italian arts craftsman and designer Francesco Molon. A modern skyscraper from the outside, the interiors will be more like those of a Venetian palazzo. Decorated in tasteful colours, the rooms will seem like a 19th century salon with heavy curtains, lavish carved ornaments, upholstered footstools and framed paintings unobtrusively adorning the scene.

Further informations can be found on the hotel website: http://www.vi-hotels.com/en/astrum/

Elisabeth Scheiring, MSc
Head of Corporate Communications
(43) 1 - 333 73 73 - 35
Vienna House