Agree with everyone. Terrific hotel

My stay could not have been surpassed. The room was excellent.. 2nd floor overlooking the Moika The staff could not have been more helpful. Lots of smiles. Afternoon tea was such a treat : String quartet. Savory & sweet options A fire burning. Comfortable chairs. Lovely surroundings. Not to mention my good book. Avery pleasant way to spend a few hours. The views from the 9th floor restaurent are also great. A pre dinner drink is a nice way to start the evening even when you are leaving the hotel for the dinner. I should mention that the wine is very expensive. I think we paid 59 euros for a nice Riesling. Another night we paid 10 euros for tea for one & a sparkling water.. This is not unique to this hotel. The overnight rate was very compeditive. It was just the extras that mounted up. When I return to St Petersburg, I will stay here again. No contest.

Excellent

This is an excellent hotel. You'll be aware of its fantastic location as soon as you arrive. It's right on the eastern bank of the Moika river - 2 minutes away from Palace Square and a view of the Hermitage. 5 minutes the other way is Nevsky Prospekt.

The hotel itself is similar to many good quality hotels around the world. In truth you could be anywhere. BUT, for those people who travel regularly in Russia, you'll soon notice the relative novelty of incredibly helpful and friendly staff. This is true for those at reception, the concierge, in the retaurants, and doormen.

The rooms vary in line with their different prices. Smaller rooms on the lower floors, with views of the atrium are the cheapest, while large suites with lovely views of the Moika are on the upper floors. We were very happy in a smaller (superior) room - we hardly spent any time in the day there, while 2 of our party were in a deluxe suite which had plenty of room and a good view of the city.

The restaurant on the top floor is well worth a visit - even just to enjoy a drink or two and tapas while looking out acroos the city rooftops. The food here is excellent, but if you are planning a full dinner or lunch, you may need another mortgage. Breakfast is served on the same floor as reception and has a wide choice of hot, cold, dairy, cereals, fruit etc.

From the hotel you can walk to the Hermitage, St Isaac's Cathedral, theatres and many of the other major sites (even those the other side of the river are only 20 mins away on foot). The one hour river cruise along the Moika and Neva departs 100m from the door. There are plenty of good restaurants and bars nearby (delicious and cheap pies are 100m round the corner to the right as you leave the hotel - just ask the concierge if you're keen).

It's hard to think of a serious negative although I painfully remember a minor one. In the men's toilets on the reception level, the door handles are too close to the edge of the door. If you shut the door while holding the handle you'll trap your fingers. I can't say if it's the same in the ladies', but be warned!

That's my only grumble, so you won't be surprised to know that I would definitely recommend the Kempinski for anyone looking for a top end hotel in St Petersburg.

Fantastic hotel, perfect location

Excellent hotel. Near the Hermatige and Nevsky Prospect but in a quiet location on the canal. Staff extremely friendly, room impeccably clean, great buffet breakfast. The restaurant/bar on the top floor gives panoramic views and you can go outside on balcony areas to take pictures. The hotel can be expensive but you can find relatively reasonable rates (for St. Petersburg!) by checking the Kempinski website on a regular basis. We paid $159Euro including breakfast for 6 nights. In our search for a place to stay, poorly located and rated hotels were well over $100 Euro. Highly recommended.

Wonderful Hotel

My travel agent wanted us to stay at a more established hotel but I insisted on the Kempinski and am glad I did. It's location is the best in St. Petersburg, right on the Moika River/Winter Canal and a brief walk across the canal bridge and into Palace Square to be at the Hermitage. When we arrived they put us in a third floor room with a view of the inner courtyard (a room I saw them put other travelers who later also complained). After expressing considerable unhappiness and showing them the confirmation for an upper floor room with a view we were moved a few hours later to a seventh floor corner room with a balcony overlooking the city. Although we couldn't see the river or the Hermitage we could see St. Isaac's dome, the Admiralty spire and the tops of various other monuments. The room was large and bright with one large window and French doors to the balcony and a sitting area. The bathroom was well appointed with lots of amenities.

The breakfast buffet was extensive and excellent. I eventually realized I had to ask the hostess for coffee when she seated us if I was to get it before we had finished eating. The staff was very pleasant but they don't have the concept of brewed coffee in a pot that they bring around to refill cups on a regular basis.

We had tea one afternoon in the front tea room overlooking the canal. It had a slight Russian twist in that you selected your choices from a large tray of various small sandwiches and later did the same with the sweets. You were brought the pot of tea you selected but not the usual tiered assortment of goodies as for English teas. It was much more self service than I've seen before but the sandwiches and sweets were very good, as was the tea.

The business center was actually one computer in an office used by hotel staff. Although the hotel had many business travelers the business center was often busy with tourists who didn't want to carry their own computers and it was frequently necessary to wait to use the one computer. We never did find an Internet cafe so the hotel definitely needs to expand it's computer services. Also needing to be expanded is the fitness center (or relaxation center as they call it) which is very small with just a couple treadmills and bikes. The hot tub is nice but a pool would be an excellent addition to the hotel.

Even with these few reservations about the hotel, overall it is an excellent property that I would not hesitate to recommend to friends or to stay at when visiting St. Petersburg again.

By all measures The Best in the best of all cities to visit

I've stayed at Grand Hotel Europe and Astoria, and I've visited Angleterre and Nevsky Palace, and BY FAR Kempinski is superior in every respect. I was here for several nights in June, 2006 and now spend a week a month here (most recently early August, returning in October). I sometimes feel I am a fixture in the place. Why the Kempinski over the others? It isn't price, as it competes at the top end with the others mentioned. But the great location (literally a stone's throw from the Hermitage), the stunning atrium lobby, the extremely well-appointed rooms, the rooftop restaurant that has the best and most unique view of all of St. Petersburg -- especially the rooftops and St. Isaac's dome in the distance, the staff, the room service, the knowing and accommodating concierges, the reception and, well, all the other service attributes that are both luxe and remarkably personal. Smiles are everywhere...I assume a condition precedent to working at the Kempinski is to be able to smile and proffer positive thoughts for the day. The lobby bar is an exposed brick atmosphere evoking its canalside marine past; the Russian-English tea service is positively decadent; and the lobby French restaurant, Beau Rivage, is sublime (albeit somewhat overcome by the expansive lobby's sense of space). The bottom line for me is that I have fallen in love with this incredible city and I find the Kempinsky to be an over-the-top quality and value proposition that eclipses its competition in a city that offers more iconic destinations than any other city I can think of, including Paris. If you haven't been to St. Petersburg, you will be absolutely shocked by the breadth of the cultural offerings. The Kempinski is where you want to stay to be in the center of the city's universe without suffering from another luxe hotel's overstated and overpriced sense of self.

Excellent!

My wife and I stayed at the Kempinski and could not have been more pleased. The hotel was very conveniently located within walking distance of most everything we wanted to see and do. The staff was what you would expect of a five star hotel- very helpful and always friendly. The room was well apointed and spotless as was the hotel itself. The lobby is very spacious and open, unlike some of the hotels we had seen. We did not try the restaurants instead opting for some of the excellent choices close by. Without question, we will stay here again on our next visit to St. Petersburg

Good Hotel

Stayed three days in Dec 05, going back for eigth days in Jan 06. Hotel a litle quiet but better for that. Service very good in bar and restaurant. Value for money seems at least 20 per cent cheaper than other high end hotels in St Petes.

Excellent, clean, expensive, poor restaurant

The hotel is really well maintained, very clean, efficient and friendly. The rooms serve wireless internet access, and the usual business services are available though there is no gym, pool or sauna. I would recommend a visit but not to the restaurant, the food is good but takes a very long time to arrive (about 1 hour with only 2-4 people in the restaurant, 3 nights in a row). The hotel does seem to be getting more expensive with each visit.

Excellent Stay at Kempinski Moika

Stayed at this hotel for 4 nights from the end of Sept to early October. The hotel is very well located -- steps to the Palace Square and the Hermitage Museum, a quick walk to Nevsky, and at the same time, in a quiet and elegant area of the city. The hotel is very new, having opened in July (their fitness facility and business centre was not up and running yet) but service is excellent. The staff is very accomodating and efficient. The hotel is of understated luxury and the rooms are very comfortable.

New Hotel meets classical city: love at the first sight

The July 18th, 2005 is the date of soft opening of Kempinski Hotel

Moika 22.

Benefiting from an exceptional location the hotel faces the Palace Square, home of the world renowned Hermitage Museum and is situated on the embankment of the Moika, one of the Saint Petersburg's numerous river canals, at the heart of the primary historical and cultural district known as the "Golden Triangle".

At this time, besides wide choice of guest accommodations, Beau Rivage restaurant serves breakfast daily and French Gourmet Cuisine at the evenings. Also Von Witte Bar and Lounge is open daily where we offer a wide variety of soft beverages and light snacks. Bellevue Restaurant on the 9th floor with spectacular views over the St. Petersburg skyline, the Hermitage Museum and the domes of the city's many wonderful cathedrals will open soon.

The hotel is just two minutes' walk from the city's main thoroughfare Nevsky Prospect and just steps away from all major sights and shopping, making it the ideal base from which to explore this dynamic city.

Total number of rooms: 197