Hotel Astoria
A historic five-star luxury hotel on Saint Isaac's Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Hotel Astoria is a historic five-star luxury hotel on Saint Isaac's Square in central Saint Petersburg, Russia. It opened on 23 December 1912, in a purpose-built structure designed by Russian-Swedish architect Fyodor Lidval. The building combines Art Nouveau and Neoclassical influences and was conceived to serve visitors arriving for the Romanov dynasty's tercentenary celebrations in 1913. Its location beside Saint Isaac's Cathedral and opposite the former Imperial German Embassy placed it at the center of the city's political, diplomatic, aristocratic, and cultural life. The property occupies a site that had previously contained a late-eighteenth-century building associated with the Lvov princely family. In the nineteenth century, that building housed the United Russian Fire-fighting Society and its newspaper, as well as ground-floor shops and later rented rooms. The structure was purchased by the Rossiya Insurance Company in 1902 and demolished in 1907 to make way for a modern hotel. The site passed through the Palace Hotel Company and then the German construction firm Wayss & Freytag, which built and initially operated the Astoria. The hotel's early history was shaped by the First World War and the Russian Revolution. In 1915, because of its connection to German ownership during wartime, the property was placed under state sequestration; it was fully nationalized in 1916 and converted into the Petrograd Military Hotel. During the political crises of 1917, the building was searched and used as a site of arrests. Red Guards took control during the October Revolution, after which the hotel housed revolutionary and Soviet institutions, including delegates to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly and staff of the central Soviet executive bodies. It also hosted participants in the First Congress of the Communist International in 1919 and the Second World Congress in 1920. Vladimir Lenin reportedly addressed a gathering from the hotel's balcony. In 1926, the Astoria was transferred to Intourist, the Soviet state tourism organization, and returned to use as a luxury hotel primarily serving foreign visitors. During the Siege of Leningrad in the Second World War, it operated as a field hospital. A frequently repeated story claims that Adolf Hitler planned a victory banquet in the hotel's Winter Garden after the anticipated capture of Leningrad, although this account is generally presented as a legend rather than a firmly documented event. The hotel closed in 1987 for renovation and reopened in 1991 after work by a Finnish construction company. The post-Soviet property initially comprised the original Astoria building and a new reproduction of the neighboring Hotel Angleterre, which had been demolished. Following a prolonged privatization and partnership dispute, Rocco Forte Hotels acquired the property in December 1997 and invested in a further modernization program. In 1999, the reproduction block was restored to the name Hotel Angleterre, while the two buildings retained connections on their upper guest-room floors. A major refurbishment completed for the Astoria's centenary in 2012 updated the property while preserving its historic identity. Today, Hotel Astoria operates as part of Rocco Forte Hotels alongside the adjoining Angleterre Hotel. The property has 213 bedrooms, including 52 suites, and combines accommodation with dining, event, and luxury hospitality services. Its positioning rests on architectural heritage, a prestigious central location, five-star service, and its association with major figures from Russian and international political, literary, artistic, and entertainment history.
History
The site now occupied by Hotel Astoria originally contained a three-story building dating from the late eighteenth century. By the 1870s it belonged to the Lvov princely family. Prince Alexander Lvov used the building as the headquarters of the United Russian Fire-fighting Society and as the editorial base for Pozharnoye delo, a publication devoted to firefighting. Shops occupied the ground floor, and after the beginning of the twentieth century parts of the property were used for rented rooms. The Rossiya Insurance Company acquired the site in 1902 and demolished the old building in 1907. The land was sold to the British Palace Hotel Company in 1910 and then, a year later, to the German construction company Wayss & Freytag. The company commissioned Fyodor Lidval, a leading Russian-Swedish architect, to design a new hotel. Construction took place in 1911 and 1912. Lidval produced a building in which Art Nouveau detailing was combined with a disciplined Neoclassical composition, suited to the grand urban setting of Saint Isaac's Square. Hotel Astoria opened on 23 December 1912. Its timing was deliberate: Saint Petersburg was preparing for the Romanov dynasty's three-hundredth anniversary in 1913, and the hotel was intended to accommodate distinguished visitors and members of the imperial social world. It quickly became a fashionable address for aristocratic and international guests. Plans were made to demolish the adjacent Angleterre Hotel and extend the Astoria with a matching structure, but the outbreak of the First World War prevented the project. The hotel's German ownership became politically problematic after the war began. In 1914, an anti-German crowd attacked the Imperial German Embassy across the square. Accounts state that some embassy personnel escaped toward the Astoria through an underground passage reportedly connecting the buildings. Wayss & Freytag attempted to place the hotel nominally under its French manager, Louis Terrier, but the property's underlying German connection was recognized. The state sequestrated the hotel in 1915 and nationalized it in 1916. It was renamed the Petrograd Military Hotel, reflecting both its new institutional use and the wartime name of the city. The building was drawn into the revolutionary upheavals of 1917. It was searched during the Kornilov affair on 10 September, with roughly forty people reportedly arrested. On 8 November, shortly after the October Revolution, Red Guards entered the hotel and detained military officers and cadets. The manager was dismissed and replaced by a revolutionary commissar. In early 1918, delegates to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly stayed there before the Bolsheviks dissolved the assembly. The property subsequently housed staff of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. After the national capital moved to Moscow, the hotel became associated with the Petrograd Soviet and accommodated members of the new city administration, including Grigory Zinoviev. It hosted delegates to the First Congress of the Communist International in 1919 and the Second World Congress in 1920. The American journalist John Reed stayed at the hotel while reporting on the Revolution, and Vladimir Lenin is associated with an address from the building's balcony. In 1926, the Soviet authorities transferred the Astoria to Intourist, the state tourism monopoly. The property resumed its role as a high-end hotel for foreign visitors. During the Second World War, when Leningrad endured a prolonged siege, the Astoria was converted into a field hospital. A later legend held that Hitler expected to celebrate the city's fall with a banquet in the hotel's Winter Garden and that invitations were prepared in advance; the story remains part of the hotel's folklore rather than an established operational event. Intourist managed the property until the hotel closed for renovation in 1987. It reopened in 1991 following work undertaken by a Finnish construction company. At that stage, the complex included the original Astoria and a newly built reproduction of the neighboring Angleterre, which had been demolished. In December 1992, Saint Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak sought an international partner to bring the hotel to modern five-star standards. The workers' collective instead submitted its own privatization documents, creating a legal conflict with the international operators favored by the city administration. The dispute continued until Rocco Forte Hotels acquired the Astoria in December 1997. The new operator invested $20 million in additional renovations, a figure reported in the reference material but not independently verified here. In 1999, the reproduction block was given back its historic name, Hotel Angleterre. Although the two hotels became distinct properties, their upper room floors remained connected. The Astoria underwent another major refurbishment in 2012 for its centenary. The hotel's modern identity is built on continuity between historic setting and contemporary luxury hospitality. It operates as a 213-room property, including 52 suites, and is managed alongside the adjoining Angleterre Hotel by Rocco Forte Hotels. Its guest history includes political leaders, writers, musicians, actors, fashion figures, and other international visitors. Among the people associated with stays at the hotel are Lenin, Isadora Duncan, H. G. Wells, Alexander Vertinsky, Prince Charles, Luciano Pavarotti, Madonna, Elton John, Truman Capote, John Denver, Jack Nicholson, Vladimir Putin, Alain Delon, Gina Lollobrigida, Marcello Mastroianni, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pierre Cardin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Margaret Thatcher, Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair, and George W. Bush. Mikhail Bulgakov reportedly spent his honeymoon there in 1932 and is traditionally said to have written portions of The Master and Margarita in room 412.
- 2014
Recognized by Condé Nast Traveller
[1]Hotel Astoria was included in Condé Nast Traveller's Top 100 Hotels and Resorts in the World.
- 2012
Centenary refurbishment completed
[1]The property completed another major refurbishment for its hundredth anniversary.
- 1999
Neighboring block restored as Hotel Angleterre
[1]The reproduction block was separated in branding from the Astoria and returned to the historic Hotel Angleterre name.
- 1997
Acquired by Rocco Forte Hotels
[1]Rocco Forte Hotels acquired the hotel following a protracted privatization and partnership dispute.
- 1991
Reopens after renovation
[1]The property reopened after work by a Finnish construction company and operated as a two-building complex.
- 1987
Closed for renovation
[1]The hotel closed for a renovation program under Intourist management.
- 1941
Converted into a field hospital
[1]During the Siege of Leningrad, the hotel served as a field hospital.
- 1926
Transferred to Intourist
[1]The Soviet state tourism organization Intourist took over the hotel and returned it to international luxury-hotel use.
- 1919
Hosts First Congress of the Communist International
[1]The hotel accommodated delegates to the First Congress of the Communist International.
- 1916
Hotel nationalized
[1]The Russian government fully nationalized the property and converted it into the Petrograd Military Hotel.
Products and positioning
A heritage five-star city hotel combining historic architecture, landmark location, Russian cultural associations, and contemporary luxury hospitality.
Luxury hotel accommodation · 1912
Guest rooms
The Astoria offers luxury guest rooms in a landmark historic building on Saint Isaac's Square. The accommodation program is designed around the hotel's architectural character, central location, and full-service five-star positioning. The property has 213 bedrooms in total, combining standard rooms and larger accommodation categories.
Luxury hotel accommodation · 1912
Suites
The hotel's suite inventory forms the premium tier of its accommodation offering. Fifty-two suites are identified in the reference material, with the category serving guests seeking additional space, privacy, and a more distinctive connection to the property's historic interiors and guest heritage.
Hospitality services
Dining and events
Beyond rooms and suites, Hotel Astoria provides the ancillary services expected of a luxury city hotel, including dining, drinks, private functions, and event hospitality. The Winter Garden is particularly associated with the hotel's heritage and formal entertaining tradition.
Brand decisions
2012
Centenary refurbishmentOtherBackground
The hotel reached its hundredth anniversary as a historic property operating within the Rocco Forte Hotels portfolio.
Action taken
A complete refurbishment was carried out to renew the property while maintaining its historic identity.
Aftermath
The refurbished hotel continued operating as a luxury property with 213 bedrooms, including 52 suites.
1997
Rocco Forte Hotels acquisitionM&ABackground
Following the end of Soviet state management, the hotel became the subject of a dispute between the workers' collective seeking privatization and international operators favored by the Saint Petersburg administration.
Action taken
Rocco Forte Hotels acquired Hotel Astoria in December 1997 and assumed responsibility for its modernization and operation.
Aftermath
The new operator invested in further renovation, and the adjoining reproduction block was later rebranded as Hotel Angleterre.
Reported renovation investment. $20 million (After the 1997 acquisition)
Sources2 sources
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