Alla Menschikova and the Rodina Grand Hotel and Spa

I met with Alla Menschikova this week at the Rodina Grand Hotel and Spa.  Alla is the Director of Sales, Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising at the Rodina and she generously agreed to speak to me about her career path and the hotel.

Alla, whose name means resurrection in Old Greek, was born in the Siberian city of Tomsk, where her father served in the military.  Later she lived in Moscow, where she attended Moscow State University of Commerce and studied Hotel Management.  Alla's work career started even earlier, in hotel reception in Moscow at, the Katerina Hotel where she quickly worked her way up the ladder into management.  So, she is well-versed in the operational side of hotels.  Later, after finishing University, Alla worked in hotel consultancy for several firms, including Jones Lang La Salle Hotels.  She visited a number of hotel sites in Russia and Ukraine in order to develop the information necessary for hotel feasibility studies, which she wrote.  

After working in consultancy for 4 1/2 years, she decided to reenter hotel management and took a position with the Rodina because she admired the hotel and liked the people working there.  It is easy to see why Alla was drawn to work at the hotel.  The Rodina, with its sweeping driveway and dramatic facade, sits in central Sochi, just a few minutes from the seaport and off Vinogradnaya Ulitsa. The hotel really is a grand facility and the quality of service and the understated elegance of the rooms reminds me of that other grand Russian Hotel, the Grand Europa in Saint Petersburg. The rooms range from 45 square meters for a standard room to 65 for a junior suite and up to 160 for a deluxe suite.  There are views of the tree-filled grounds and Black Sea and the hotel has one of the best quality restaurants in Sochi, the Black Magnolia, which features Mediterranean cuisine and an extensive wine list of well-known French and Italian wines.  The Rodina's spa is one of the largest in Europe, with facial and body treatments, including Thai massage.  There are also sauna and steam rooms.   The outdoor pool area is spectacular and suitable for parties.  There is a conference room for 90 attendees and the Rodina is spacious enough with its restaurants, bars and terraces to accommodate weddings and corporate events simultaneously.  Alla and I spoke about the appeal of the Rodina in the hustle and bustle that is pre-Olympic Sochi.  The hotel is clearly an "oasis" of calm and relaxation that can only be created by very good service.

 

Alla told me that "all guests are equally important" and that she derives great satisfaction from exceeding the expectations of guests who have come a long distance to relax at the Black Sea's best resort.  A philosophy of the hotel is that all employees add value and I have heard stories of all staff, including maids and groundskeepers going to whatever lengths necessary to assure that each detail, no matter how small, is seen to for guests of the hotel.

The Rodina is the preferred destination in Sochi for many of Russia's entertainers and leaders in politics and business. Despite this, there are surprisingly attractive winter rates available and the restaurants are open to diners who are not guests of the hotel.  

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British Banya

I went to the British Banya in Krasnaya Polyana recently.  The owner, James Larkin, is a native of the United Kingdom.  He came to the region in 1993 and has built one of the most unique businesses and best reputations in this part of Russia.

When we met, I expected someone much older than James.  I was waiting in the office with his assistant when he arrived.  He entered the room with the look and relaxed demeanor of a 24 year-old snowboarder from Colorado.  However, James' easy-going charm and friendly disposition belie a great eye for design and a prescience about the markets he serves.  And he is doing all of this in a culture and language not his own.

James studied engineering in the U.K., but before finishing he was drawn to Russia by the stories of a fellow student who came from Krasnaya Polyana.  When he came to Krasnaya Polyana he was intrigued by the culture and opportunities he saw.  This was 14 years before Russia won the right to host the Olympics, so Krasnaya Polyana was not on anyone's radar screen at the time.  

He started out with a small banya on the property.  The business grew and he eventually built a new, much larger facility.  James was not satisfied with the stove he was using in his banya, so he designed and built his own.  The quality and design attracted customers, so he and his wife now build commercially.  His design is more efficient, environmentally friendly and durable than those of usual construct.  His work is getting attention from businesss and political leaders in Russia.  He told me that he is in Moscow several tines a month, where he has multiple projects for the design and construction of banyas and recreation rooms in the homes of wealthy Moscovites.  James' designs include his own unique spa pool (shown below suspended on his property) and the banya stoves, which he builds on his property.

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The British Banya is popular with locals in Krasnaya Polyana.  Alcohol, although customary at most Russian banyas, is not sold because of the dangerous combination with heat and dehydration, especially at altitude. The banya has a large round room with rocks for heat and steam, the suspended heated pool and a cold water pool for immersion between sitting in the heat.  There is also a room for massage and the leaf and branch treatments that accompany a traditional Russian banya experience.  The banya features a spacious area with seating and tables for relaxing and drinking water and tea during the banya experience.

Because of his great location and growing demand for hotels in Krasnaya Polyana, James is building a 10-room hotel.  The construction is also environmentally-friendly.  The building has a dramatic spiral staircase, spacious rooms and great views.  There also will be a roof-top terrace for guests to enjoy the Caucasus Mountain scenery.  Construction is expected to be completed in February- March 2012.  Foreign Olympic organizations have already called looking to rent the hotel for the Games. 

Food of the Caucasus

Ladochka

There is a lot of diversity in Caucasian cuisine, but my favorite is that of Abkhazia.  The dishes tend to be spicier than Russian food. Common side dishes include mamaliga with cheese, beans (they are not hot, but spicy) and the lodochka (boat) of bread with cheese and sometimes an egg.  One of my favorites is the soup kharcho with lamb.  Another is the similarly named kharch, which is beef in a spicy pomegranate walnut sauce.  

Kharch

Sochi has a number of streetside bakeries that produce lavosh, an Armenian bread.  I like it when it is fresh and hot.

Armenian Bakery

Office Rental in Sochi

Several outside organizations have been inquiring about office space for rent in Sochi.  I viewed an office on the 4th floor of a building on Kurortniy Prospekt, across the street from the Moskva Hotel (to be rebuilt with the Marriott flag).  This office was 60 square meters and was available at a price of 1,500 rubles per square meter per month.  This contrasted with prices from 800- 1,000 rubles per square meter per month on Vinogradnaya and Gagarina Streets.  Another office was rented in another centrally located hotel for 1,800 rubles per square meter per month.  

A very attractive office consisting of two floors and 1,350 square meters is for rent at 822 rubles per square meter.  The price is more reasonable, but the space is quite large compared to most offices.  The office is in the same complex as Aleksandr's Lighthouse and below the Lighthouse Restaurant.  The location is very good and the office has excellent view of the Black Sea.

 View from office

Office

Olympic University Progress

Recently, I returned to view the construction site of the Olympic University being constructed on Orzhonikidze Ulitsa in Sochi.  I last photographed the site about 8 weeks before.  As with most construction projects in Sochi, there is rapid progress.  From the photos below, you can see the changes: