Workforce Accommodation in Sochi

The situation for companies seeking workforce accommodation in Sochi is complicated by several factors.  One issue is that with traffic and construction workers will face commuting delays, even when living relatively close to their workplace.  Apartments in older buildings in Sochi are individually owned and new buildings are usually quickly sold out to indiivdual homeowners.  Sometimes the process is completed even before the building is finished.  So, there are no large apartment complexes that are owned and managed as rental properties. This means assembling a number of apartments in one location will be very difficult. 

We have a database of apartment owners and projects where rentals are available.  The objective is to identify properties with the standards that foreign companies and workers will expect.  Then we find individual owners who rent apartments in those projects.  Since there are very few owners with large inventories, it is complicated. We also anticipate the shopping and transportation needs of workers, so that when companies come here, they will have the information necessary to make the best selection possible.  We also provide help with negotiation and legal documentation and have several packages of services to meet the homefinding and eventual departure needs of executives and workers coming to Sochi. 

Please visit the site, DestinationSochi.com to learn more about our services and the ways in which we can offer expert help.   The site has contact information, also.  

We advise companies and organizations to contact us as quickly as possible to discuss planning.  Because of capacity issues, costs will rise and favorable locations will be unavailable for late entrants.

Aeroexpress

Last week, I rode the new Aeroexpress service from the airport in Sochi's Adler District to the central station in Sochi.  The ride was quiet, comfortable, very pleasant and at just 50 minutes from station to station, it is shorter than the usual automobile trip.  I think this is a godsend to travelers and will help to reduce traffic on Sochi's main road.  For those who use have used the Aeroexpress service in Moscow between the city center and Sheremetyevo, Domodedov and Vnukovo Airports, the comfort and convenience of the service will be familiar and the bright red wagons will be a welcome sight on arrival at the airport in Sochi.  The train has one stop at Adler, where a new station is being built and costs 200 rubles for standard class and 350 rubles for a business class ticket.

We made a video of the trip.  Please watch it:

Sochi Weather

We have had wild week of weather in Sochi.  Tuesday morning started off a thunderstorm and big, fat snowflakes falling in central Sochi.  It snowed heavily until mid-morning, then by the afternoon, it cleared off and the snow melted.  By evening, most of the snow was gone, but then it started snow again.  The storm system brought bigger than normal surf to Sochi's usually placid coastline. The pattern of snowfall and warming continued all week, so the streets have been wet with snow or melting snow most of the time.  Temperatures have hovered within a few degrees of freezing, so the major problem has been the wet streets.  Tuesday an accident on Vinogradnaya Ulitsa tied up traffic for hours.

March 8- International Women's Day

Russia celebrates Women's Day on March 8 each year.  The day was a holiday for most businesses and schools , which were closed both Thursday, March 8 and Friday, the 9th.  (To compensate, businesses and schools will reopen on Sunday, March 10.)The holiday is celebrated with gifts, flowers and candy for the women in each man's life.  To say it is an important holiday here in Russia is an understatement and one that would be nearly impossible and certainly unfogiveable to forget.  

I spent the day at a party in Dagomis, which is part of Sochi, but northwest of the city center along the coast. There were about 20 people at the party, which centered around a large meal that included, shashlik (barbeque grilled pork), chicken salad, potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, many other dishes and a large cake for desert.  The day cooperated with sunshine, although the streets were wet from the previous night's snow fall melting.

Weekly Run

I am going to be a conducting a Run With Bruce on a weekly basis in Sochi.  Please connect with me on Facebook to learn more details of the time and place.  I look forward to improving our cardiovascular shape and helping to make Sochi Russia's First City of Fitness!