Yes, many Russian hotels offer discounts during the winter, especially outside of major holidays like New Year’s and Christmas.

Winter is considered the low season in many Russian cities (except ski resorts and holiday weeks), so hotels often lower their prices to attract more guests. You can find good deals in cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg during January and February, when tourism slows down due to the cold weather.

However, prices may go up around New Year (Dec 31 – Jan 8) due to the Russian holiday season.

Four Seasons Hotel Moscow is a beacon of luxury in the Russian capital, perhaps the best-located and most revered hotel in the city. The five-star property sits just a few steps from the Kremlin and Red Square and is a display of imperial heritage and modernity. Formerly managed by the luxury Canadian brand, it’s now nationally operated and known under the name ‘The Legend of Moscow’, but the level of service, interiors and dining was left behind. The rooms are modern and spacious, with some of the best views in the city; there’s a cool cocktail bar, a spa and plenty of opulent event spaces for weddings. The concierge is in a league of its own – organising walking tours of the city, vintage tours, jollies outside the city and more – plus even the most impossible reservations in town.

Doubles from ₽63,000 a night (about AED2,685) thelegendofmoscow.com, @thelegendofmoscow

To get a taste of the Russia of the past, check into Metropol, an iconic establishment once a haunt for kings, politicians and luminaries. Opened in 1905 as a patron of the arts, it was built to rival the grand hotels of the era – such as New York City’s Waldorf Astoria. Paris’ Ritz and Claridge’s in London. Entering the art nouveau building, guests can step into a Russia of the past with traditional and opulent interiors, gilded and ornate, and a choice of either heritage or contemporary rooms; the former with imperial tones like blue, purple, and green, antique furnishings, chandeliers and a unique theme, and contemporary with light pastel shades and art deco touches. There’s a spa, swimming pool, salon, top-end restaurant and seductive cocktail bar – plus it’s less than a five-minute walk from Moscow’s main attractions.

Doubles from ₽30,000 a night (about AED1,300) metropol-moscow.ru, @metropolhotel

Another beautiful property showcasing the grander of Russia’s past is The Carlton, a 334-room property offering a front-row seat to the city. Formerly The Ritz-Carlton Moscow, The Carlton has retained all the hallmarks of the global luxury brand, hosting guests in newly refurbished spaces, some of the biggest rooms and suites in the city – with elegant white walls with French-style wall panelling and giant white beds – a spa and Champagne Bar serving caviar and bubbles. The star is the rooftop O2 Restaurant, where elegant locals flock for panoramic drinks and date nights. An exclusive Carlton Club Lounge also gives suite guests a ‘hotel within a hotel’ experience with a separate concierge, five sittings of complimentary dining and unlimited complimentary beverages.

Doubles from ₽55,000 a night (about AED2,345), carltonmoscow.com,

One of the most regal Moscow hotels, the Petroff Road Palace Hotel is a unique establishment that is alive with history and transports guests to the time of the Tsars. The boutique hotel occupies one floor of the historic Petroff Palace (or Petrovsky Palace), founded in 1780 under the orders of Catherine the Great and steeped in Imperial history – Tsars would stay here before their coronation at the nearby Kremlin. Today, the palace houses a museum and the official Reception House of the Moscow government. Check into one of just 43 luxury rooms to live like a royal for the night, enjoying historic splendour with all the modern comforts. The design is all Empire, with solid wood, warm colours, gold, chandeliers, wall sconces, cut glass and regal carpets and curtains. Largest suites are named after Catherine and Peter The Great and reflect their illustrious reputations.

Doubles from ₽7,500 a night (about AED320), en.petroffpalacehotel.ru,

Formerly The St. Regis Moscow, and now known just as the Hotel Nikolskaya, this five-star property is one of the best examples of ostentatious 19th-century Russian grandeur – set within a historic building designed for Count Alexei Orlov-Davydov and home to a dramatic gleaming marble floor lobby with flamboyant chandeliers, imposing coloured glass dome and sweeping staircases. The rest of the hotel is just as OTT – with art nouveau and art deco textiles, reproduction of Degas, Chagall and Klimt and plush sofas and armchairs. The OTT theme continues outside the decor – there’s a decadent meat-themed restaurant, private butlers, a spa and an indoor swimming pool. Book a cosy attic room in the historic eaves or a bright and opulent suite with soaring ceilings.

Doubles from ₽31,500 a night (about AED320), hotelnikolskaya.com, @stregismoscownikolskaya

A contemporary counterpart to the opulent, old-world hotels in Moscow, Russia, the retro-futurist StandArt hotel opened its doors in 2016 as the first Russian Design Hotels member. Regarded by many as the chicest and coolest hotel in the city, the hotel sites right on Tverskya Street, right next to the eponymous metro station and overlooks Pushkin Square – as a result, the State Museum of Modern Art, Pushkin Theatre and Bulgakov Museum are all less than 10 minutes away by foot. Conceived by Russian designers Varvara Filatova and Pyotr Bragovsky, there’s a high-tech lobby with the televisual wall, gadgetry and furniture from the set of a retro-futuristic movie. Staff are young and smiley, bringing a more youthful, laid-back feeling to the space. There’s also a spa with treatment suites, a plunge pool, a gym, a Turkish bath and sauna, and a rooftop space.

Russia’s mighty metropolis is filled with cultural, historical and dining gems. It also has some fantastic hotels. Here are the most glamorous and unique Moscow hotels to check into this year, open and taking bookings.

Hotel Savoy Moscow bedroom

Hotel Savoy Moscow

Moscow’s Savoy hotel opened back in 1913 in the last years of the Russian Empire, and today is pretty much a timewarp of that era – albeit a more contemporary one, following a comprehensive refurb by Italian architect Leonardo Tonioni back in 2005. There are just 67 rooms, making the Savoy one of the few small luxury hotels in Moscow, Russia, and each is classically styled with sumptuous interiors and high-tech amenities, giving the best of old and new.

The lobby’s hand-painted ceiling features cherubs and chandeliers, oil paintings adorn the wood-panelled walls, and guests can enjoy grand fireplaces in rooms and statues and marble statues across the property. The rococo-style Savoy Restaurant, with its marble fountain and Venetian mirrors, alongside the cosy Hermitage Bar with its roaring fireplace, are an ode to early 20th-century grandeur. For such a small property, the wellness facilities are exceptional – a gym with cardio and weight machines, a sauna, a 20-metre heated pool and a beauty salon.

Part of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World group, The Barvikha is one of Moscow’s most glamorous suburban hotels, an hour’s drive outside the city centre and a fantastic escape from the bustle of the capital. The property feels like a billionaire’s secret country lair, with all cosy wood panels, brown furnishings, a roaring fireplace, and raw and industrial-chic materials like exposed stone and glass.

The space has a seductive feel, hosting many of the city’s most stylish residents for weekend escapes, and is home to a stunning 2,000 square metres Chenot spa with several indoor swimming pools, saunas, Russia baths, steam rooms, hot and cold plunge, relaxation rooms, a beauty salon and fitness centre. Each of the 51 guest rooms is high-tech and design-led, boasting a soft and warm colour scheme, a large private terrace and natural finishings. Other highlights include Armani Casa furnishings and Bernardaud tableware, Bang&Olufsen sound systems, Frette bed linen and a pillow menu.

Ararat Park Hotel Moscow (formerly Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow) is one of the most popular top-rated hotels in Moscow, Russia, offering residential-style accommodation right in the heart of the city. Just a short walk from iconic landmarks like the Kremlin, Red Square and Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the hotel offers 205 stylish rooms by renowned New York-based designer Tony Chi and offers views of the city’s most famous monuments. This is a location for those who want easy access to Moscow’s luxury shopping boulevards and malls, along with those who like plush interiors but are not too ostentatious. Its Conservatory Bar and Lounge is one of the most famous spots for panoramic lunches and drinks in the city, under an elegant glass roof with a spacious outdoor terrace, while the chic Cafe Ararat served Armenian cuisine by Chef Narek Avagyan.

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