Radisson Royal Hotel

The colorful history of the building on the odd-numbered side of the Nevsky Prospect 49/2 with the pink-colored façade trails back to the 18th century. Traditionally, the evocative setting and the atmosphere of historic St. Petersburg attracted people of the art and many cultural and major public events played their essential role in the building’s past. Many famous Russians were related to this historical building: composer Mikhail Glinka, writers Nikolay Nekrasov and Anton Chekhov, poet Alexander Pushkin, artist Vasiliy Surikov.

The exact date of the building construction is unknown, but it was one of the first edifices in the area and already standing by late 1730s, when this section of the city was a less than aristocratic neighborhood. In the 1850-ties a 2nd-guild merchant Rotin owned the building and opened a hotel and restaurant ‘Moscow’. In 1879, a 2nd-guild merchant Abram Ushakov acquired a house at 49 Nevsky Prospect. He had renovated the building giving it its current look – gorgeous façade, decorated with stuccowork and caryatids. The restaurant was closed in the late 1920s. Yet the restaurant of the hotel continued to operate and even expanded. In September 1964 the restaurant was reopened after the reconstruction and continued operating till the 90-ies.

Right under ‘Moscow’ restaurant there was a nameless Café which will forever remain in the memory of its visitors under the name of ‘Saigon’. It became an unofficial meeting place where poets, writers and artists from many different backgrounds and groups began to congregate, among whom the future Nobel prize-winner Iosif Brodsky was a regular visitor.

This cafe figures large in the memories of writers and artists who grew up in the city of Leningrad.

The Radisson Royal Hotel is very proud of its history and tries to keep the ‘Saigon’ spirit alive when you visit the Cannelle Bar. You will find many memorabilia like books, an old typewriter, gramophone and live piano music from back in the days. On several tables in the Cannelle Bar you will find unique plaques which honor and remember their famous visitors of the past times.