Hotel Saint-Petersburg was built in 1967–1970; architects of the project were S.B. Speransky, V.E. Struzman and N.V. Kamensky. Foundation of the hotel with a symbolic name "Leningrad" was a great breakthrough not just because it was one of the first hotels of that size built after the war and also due to the advanced construction technologies put into practice. The hotel was well-equipped, on the second floor guests found themselves in a winter garden with views of the historical part of the city. In the "Mirror fort" that looked like a glass cylinder was located a two-story restaurant, where events for the VIP guests of the city were held. An exchange bar was opened in the hotel, which was an absolute rarity for Russia of the 1970s.
There are several restaurants and bars on the territory of the hotel. There are dishes of Russian, European, Japanese cuisine in the menu, also one of the restaurants is equipped with an own brewery and bakery. Life music performances are held almost daily.
Congress Hall
Every year dozens of scientific congresses, symposiums, and concerts are held in the hotel “Saint-Petersburg”. One of the largest concert halls of the city with the capacity of 797 places is located in the hotel. Also there are an exhibition area and 3 conference halls in the hotel:.
Conflagration of 1991
On February 23, 1991, there was a fire in the hotel that was considered to be one of the worst conflagrations of the 20th century in Saint Petersburg. The seventh through ninth floors were involved. Seven guests and nine firefighters died. There is a monument to the firefighters who perished near the Kalininsky district fire station.
During first ten years the hotel received more than a million foreign guests.
Initially it was assumed that the hotel will be built in two stages: the first is a modern building of the hotel and design of the second stage was completed in the middle of the 1970s. It was planned to construct a 13-story building in the form of an open-ring with an inner courtyard with swimming pool and fountains. At the present time it is the building of Petrovsky fort.
In 2006 the second meeting of G8 ministersа finance was held in the hotel “Saint-Petersburg” was the first hotel in Soviet Union that applied western system of breakfasts: “Buffet-breakfast” and “Continental breakfast”
