The Oktiabrskaya Hotel is one of the oldest St. Petersburg Hotel located at the central part of the city where two main avenues Nevsky & Ligovsky meet just in front of Moskovsky Railway station. At December of 2001 there was a celebration of 150 years anniversary of Oktiabrskaya Hotel foundation.

A site of the land which the Oktiabrskaya Hotel currently occupies went down into St. Petersburg history as early as the middle of the 18th century. The tsar's menagerie Elephant's Yard was located at that place that time. Constriction works of the railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg started development of a big square in front of the future building of the Nikolaevsky Railway Station. The design of the complex with good looking facilities was approved in February 1845, by the Emperor Nicholas I himself.

A building and interior decorations of the future Oktiabrskaya Hotel were designed by architects Guemilian and Ivanov.

Newspapers of that time described the construction works in details telling that the future building of the Oktiabrskaya Hotel was large enough and consisted of 100-150 premises fit for accommodation and leisure. The hotel was excessively equipped by technical innovations of that time: the rooms were heated by "pneumonic stoves", fans were installed there to purify the air, passages were equipped with "talking tubes". The hotel was called Znamenskaya and officially opened in December, 1851. It happened a year and half later after the regular communication by the first Russian railway was established.

In the second half of the 19th century the hotel was reconstructed and renovated several times, it used to change its owners and names as well. After Znamenskaya it became Severnaya, then it was renamed into Big Severnaya and finally in 1918 it got its current name - the Oktiabrskaya Hotel.

At the beginning of the 20th century it acquired particular respectability. The building was decorated with a dome inside and there was a restaurant there. The facade of the building was decorated with the elevator (lift) working on the electricity. The hotel offered for it guests the omnibus charter carried by horses. There were about 200 rooms at the hotel but only 23 of them were equipped with bathrooms. Many rooms were equipped with the city telephones. The restaurant of the Oktiabrskaya Hotel, one of the largest in the city used to serve up to 500 people. The hotel rooms were furnished with elegant modern furniture and carpets.

After the revolution of 1917 the hotel premises were given for the needs of the October Railway Administration. The railway workers and the Red army soldiers used to stay at Oktiabrskaya hotel that time. After it was used as the hostel for hundreds of homeless children. From 1939 to 1940 during a war against Finland there was a head quarters of Karelo-Finn Republic, from 1942 to 1944 there was a hospital where suffered from the starvation Leningrad citizens were treated, from February of 1944 till the end of the Great Patriotic War in May of 1945 there was a head quarters of the

Location

rom/to city centre: The Oktiabrskaya Hotel is located in city centre. The nearest metro (underground station) "Plashad Vosstanya".

From railway station "Moscovsky": by foot 3-5 min. to "Oktiabrsky" and "Nevsky" blocks or 2-3 min. to "Ligovsky" block (affiliated branch of the Oktiabrsky Hotel).

From airport "Pulkovo-I" (domestic airlines): from airport by bus # 39 to underground (metro) station "Moskovskaya" to take a train to underground (metro) station "Tekhnologichesky Institut" and transfer the line # 1 to take a train to underground (metro) station "Ploshad' Vostaniya". Exit to city following the information sign "Oktiabrskaya Hotel". Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.

From airport "Pulkovo-II" (international airlines): from airport by bus # 13 to underground (metro) station "Moskovskaya" to take a train to underground (metro) station "Tekhnologichesky Institut" and transfer the line # 1 to take a train to underground (metro) station "Ploshad' Vostaniya". Exit to city following the information sign "Oktiabrskaya Hotel". Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Room Info

This three-star hotel has 300 rooms all renovated as well as newly renovated corridors, bathrooms and public areas.

IThe Oktiabrskaya Hotel offers to its Russian and foreign guests the best accommodation for reasonable money, modest, but clean and comfortable standard rooms featuring direct-dial telephone, satellite television and en suite bathroom: 551 rooms and suites in the hotel blocks "Oktiabrsky" and "Nevsky" excluding affiliated branch "Ligovsky" (14 triple rooms, 200 twin/double rooms, 240 single rooms, 87 junior suites, 6 suites, 4 apartments) from which you can choose a single, twin (double), junior suite, suite or apartment standard or for a more luxurious stay guests can opt for one of the hotel's rooms located at "Oktiabrsky" block or at the affiliated branch, recently renovated, with newer furniture and more modern amenities.

Each room has a bathroom (with bathtub and shower), equipped with the comfortable furniture made in Austria, direct-dial telephone, TV (international and Russian satellite channels), fridge or mini-bar. Some of the hotel rooms give truly magnificent city views. Quiet and peace, comfortable furniture, cosy halls dispose to either fruitful work or good rest.