The Return of the Grand Tradition -The re-opening of nine historic suites
The Grand Hotel Europe is delighted to announce the re-opening of nine historic suites, after a complete refurbishment and redesign under the direction of the French designer Michel Jouannet, who has been working closely with other Orient Express Hotels properties, such as the Cipriani in Venice.
St Petersburg has a long history of French influence, and the importance of that tradition has been re-affirmed with Monsieur Jouannet’s work which is a masterpiece of the synthesis of St Petersburg classical elegance from the time of Tsar Alexander I, and the needs of modern living. The strictness of classicism, however, is always softened with comfortable soft furnishings and silk fabrics.
The suites are all of them large in area – in average about 65 m2 (700 ft2), and they offer the rare possibility in today’s hectic world, of relaxing and entertaining in luxurious surroundings, and with the utmost peace and privacy. The views out of the windows are some of the best in St Petersburg, looking out as they do across the classical ensemble of Arts Square, the quiet of Mikhailovsky Street or the bustle of Nevsky Prospect.
It was Monsieur Jouannet’s intention to reimagine and reinterpret the suites for the most demanding and exacting of international guests, and yet to do so without losing any of the original period Russian details – an original blue cobalt chandelier in one suite, a floor-length leaded mirror in another, an art nouveau lamp.... Not only that, but he wanted to give back to the suites their original grand style, and at the same time also to provide them with the most up-to-date technical facilities, and not to compromise with either of his intentions.
How successful he has been can be seen in the way in which at first glance one is aware only of a suite presenting a very beautiful, extremely elegant, interior space, in soothing pastel shades, and with wonderful echoes of domestic Russian decor: the double windows with their heavy brass fittings, the samovar lamps, the inlays of Karelian birch, the Russian historical prints, and the richly-coloured fabrics reproduced especially from a 19th century pattern book. But, look closer and one sees that the exquisitely crafted inlaid writing desk is perfect for writing an old-fashioned postcard home; there are no wires in sight, yet flip up a little lid and there are sockets for writing e-mails on your notebook.
This seamless duality of classicism and technology is present throughout the suites; one sees it, for example, in the spacious entrance halls. There is everything and more that one requires in terms of hanging and storage space, but open the doors and there is a fax machine and a safe to one side, and also a complete private entertaining unit complete with a sink, a well-stocked refrigerator, an Italian coffee machine, a toaster. If one wishes to retire from the world for just a little time, such a suite is the ideal.
For keeping in touch with the outside world, there is a 32 inch flatscreen TV in the drawing room, with high-speed internet access, and, of course,Wi-Fi as standard. Technology comes beautifully into play in the bedrooms where one can enjoy the comfort of an extra-size hypoallergenic mattress, and at the press of a button, a flatscreen TV rises up from out of the cabinet at the foot of the bed.
To walk into the bathrooms in any one of the nine suites, is to walk into a reminder of the Roman Baths built for Catherine the Great, alongside the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo (now Pushkin). For Catherine, the architect Charles Cameron used pale marbles and ceramic intaglios as decorative details, and for the Grand Hotel Europe, Michel Jouannet has used these same materials and motifs. The comparison between the two designers is a just one; they are both masters of their art.
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The Grand Hotel Europe, St Petersburg - Since 1875
The Grand Hotel Europe has been a landmark luxury hotel since the moment it opened in St Petersburg in 1875. Situated in an elegant classical building designated a cultural and national monument, on the corner of Nevsky Prospect, the historic artery of the city, the hotel has welcomed some of the most famous names in Russian history, from yesterday and today, including Tsar Nicholas II, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Grigory Rasputin, Anna Pavlova and President Vladimir Putin. European royalty and politicians from around the globe have always favoured the hotel, which has welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales, former US President Bill Clinton and President Jacques Chirac. History has been made on many an occasion at the Grand Hotel Europe, particularly by writers and musicians, witness the encounter between George Bernard Shaw and Maxim Gorky, and the time when Dimitri Shostakovich played a sonata for Sergei Prokofiev. In the late 20th, and the 21st, century, a galaxy of artists, musicians and stars of stage and screen, have made the Grand Hotel Europe their hermitage in St Petersburg – Catherine Deneuve, Richard Gere, Monserrat Caballe, Sir Paul McCartney.
