National Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Moscow. It is situated in the heart of city, at the corner of Tverskaya and Mokhovaya streets, near with Red Square, Kremlin, and Aleksandrovsky Garden. Its history is connected with the history of Moscow and Russia.
The building of National hotel started in 1900 at the project of Aleksandr Ivanov architect. The most up-to-date stuff was used, fronts of National Hotel were decorated with stones, ceramic tile, modeling. The interiors of the hotel were amazing: marble stairs in lobby, stained windows, mosaic floors, atlantes figures near the elevators.
The furniture for rooms was made by special request, from red wood, light and fumed oak, and other sorts of wood. The most luxuries rooms, Ludovik the XV or Ludovik XVI were situated on the third floor, for people of high rank. Many rooms were equipped with bathrooms, safes. The building had the most up-to-date system of central heating, developed at San-Gally factory. The hotel was installed of telephones, it was a sign of luxury in those years. There were also reading-hall, restaurant, shops, bakery, and wine-cellar in National Hotel.
National Hotel was opened in 1903 and received the status of one of the best hotels in Moscow. Accommodation in this hotel was expensive, but there were always a lot of guests. Rich merchants, foreign diplomats, manufacturers, artist, and actors stayed here.
October Revolution influenced on the history of National Hotel. It served as a station of counter-revolutionaries. After Bolsheviks' victory all Moscow hotels were nationalized. National Hotel became the First Counsel house. In 1918 the members of new government stayed in National Hotels' rooms. Dzerzhinsky, Sverdlov, Trotsky lived there, in 107 room Lenin and Krupskaya stayed for a while. The rooms was furnished with green suite of furniture, on the massive writing-table, covered with green cloth, were marble ink-pot with paperweight; two bronze candlesticks and bronze lamp with green abat-jour also decorated the room.
For a long time National Hotel was Russian Central executive committee's hall of residence. In thirties was decided to return the former functions of the hotel. The building of the hotel was reconstructed, ground floors were tiled with granite. Furniture was from Anichkov and Great Palace. National Hotel was look like a museum, that influenced on price. The accommodation was expensive even for foreigners. So National Hotel brought losses, in 1950-60 partly restoration was carried out. But the popularity of hotel was lost.
In 1985 was decided to renew National Hotel totally. The part of furniture was sent to the museums, the other part was renewed. Austrian Rogner and Russian mosproekt-2 companies were the general providers.
There were three main directions in this work — replan of building, modernization of hotel facilities, renovation of room interiors. Health centre, attic with twenty extra rooms, cafe with winter garden were situated in the north front of National Hotel. All details in design were made under the past.
In 1995 new National Hotel placed the first guests. The new period of its history began. The hotel was rewarded with a category of five-star hotels. Present and past combined in the interiors of National Hotel. In 2000 National Hotel celebrated its centenary.
9th of December, 2003 was the mourning date in the history of National Hotel. Act of terrorism was committed in that day. Due to the explosion of Mercedes, parked by the hotel entry, six people were died, including two suicide bombers; more than 12 people were wounded. In July, 2005 a monument to the victims was set up there.
Nowadays National Hotel is one of the best hotels in Moscow. National Hotel has been rewarded with the Diamond star of USA Hospitality Academy for its achievements. General manager Ury Podkopaev, directed since 1985, was twice gave the rank of the best manager.