As you probably know, it is not very easy to find a good hotel in Russia, and Moscow is not a exception to this. In the soviet times our country wasn’t very interested in tourism, either in internal or international. Due to historic circumstances, we now have very few hotels, and as you know, absence of competition leads to high prices and low quality.
As an active traveller I am always happy to see new hotels appear in Russia, as it gives hope for the future development of the hotel industry and turism as a whole. The opening of new hotel types, which previously did not exist, is a good way to stimulate this process.
This is the reason why I eagerly responded to an invitation from “AZIMUT Hotels” to make a photo series of their newly-opened AZIMUT Moscow Tulskaya Hotel, and to tell about it in my blog. Let alone this is the first loft style hotel in Moscow!
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1.
What is a loft
The idea of loft was born in 1940s in Manhattan’s factory district as a way of using cheap accomodation under the roof of old buildings for housing and office purposes.
Land was quickly getting more and more expenxsive, and young penniless artists and musicians couldn’t afford renting traditional accomodation, that’s why they began settling down in lofts and attics, which were available at a significantly lower cost.
At the same time owners of manufacturing businesses were forced to bring them out of the city. The empty factories and storehouses were also modified into creative workshops and studios due to their functional characteristics (high ceilings and good lighting) and low cost.
Loft evolutioned from a workshop into a stylish accomodation and was at the peak of popularity in 1950s. New York’s creative life was centered in lofts. A classic example of this was Andy Warhol’s “Factory”. Very soon, though, lofts, as well as office space, became an elite type accomodation. It became very expensive to rent space in the city’s historical districts in buildings that were close to being considered historic landmarks. Artists couldn’t afford this type of accomodation anymore, and their place was taken by successful businesses.
The key characteristics of the loft style are dictated by manufacturing buildings: open layout, maximum space and light, and a mixture of old a new materials as a must. Old brickwork, painted concrete walls and plank floors are combined with glass, chromium-plated details and modern equipment.
2.
AZIMUT Moscow Tulskaya Hotel is located in the loft business district «Danilovskaya manufactory 1867» at Varshavskoe shosse, 9, which is about 7 minutes walking distance from metro station Tulskaya. The hotel’s building was constructed in the 19th century to serve as a dormitory for manufactory’s workers. The building has been fully renovated and is now converted into a hotel.
Pavel Kosenko 