Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel unveils new grand foyer and restaurant

St. Petersburg – The extension and refurbishment of the Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel, a leading hotel in St. Petersburg, took a major step forward with the unveiling of a grand new foyer and completely renovated restaurant and conference facilities. The project, which is being managed by Malta-based Company IHI Benelux, is the biggest investment project in the hotel industry in the city.

The five-star Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel, which first opened its doors in July 1993 after the renovation of two historic 19th century buildings in the heart of St. Petersburg, was acquired by IHI Benelux in 2002 and joined the prestigious Corinthia Hotels brand of upscale properties throughout Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The hotel is operated by CHI Hotels & Resorts and features in the Wyndham Grand Collection, an exquisite collection of artfully-appointed hotels representing one-of-a kind experiences in unique destinations around the world.

The extension and refurbishment project of the Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel was launched in June 2005 in the presence of St. Petersburg’s Governor Valentina Matvienko and Corinthia Group Chairman Alfred Pisani.

The Euro 100 million project includes the extension of the existing hotel and the development of three adjoining buildings, together with the refurbishment of all the hotel’s public areas. The first phase of the project, which saw the total rebuilding of the hotel foyer to create a world-class sense of arrival and the upgrading of the hotel’s main restaurant and conference facilities, is now complete.

The second phase of the project will see the extension and integration of the main building into the adjoining building at 59, Nevskij Prospect. This extension will add another 105 executive guestrooms to the hotel, together with a 250 square-meter Presidential Suite, bringing the hotel’s total inventory to 400 rooms, together with a new Executive Lounge. In addition, the extension will feature the City’s finest hotel conference center with 14 state-of-the-art meeting rooms including a Grand Ballroom with a total capacity for over a 1,000 guests. This will enable Corinthia to market St. Petersburg internationally as a top-class destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and events.

At 55, Nevskij Prospect, the project envisages the development of the Nevskij Plaza, an elite commercial center, with two floors of exclusive and upscale retail outlets and five floors of premium office rental space.

Both facades will be rebuilt as exact replicas of the imposing original facades, thus recreating the splendor of their historic past. The entire project is scheduled for completion by the beginning of 2009.