RIGA, Latvia -- One of the newest hotels to arrive on the Riga
scene is the Hotel Grand Palace, which opened May 15.
The Grand Palace is housed in a former printing house in the
center of Riga's Old City, and approximately $7.5 million was spent
to convert it into a hotel.
Individual business travelers, especially from Finland, Russia
and Germany, are the Grand Palace's target market.
The hotel aims to be an upscale boutique hotel, and it succeeds.
Rooms are well-appointed, and the 90-person staff is eager to
please.
Guests will find three dining areas on the lower level. The
first is the Pils Bar, a very English-looking and sumptuously
decorated bar, complete with chandeliers made from antlers and
paintings depicting fox-hunting.
Around the corner is the formal restaurant, Seasons, and, as the
name implies, the continental menu changes every season. The
40-seat restaurant is popular with local businessmen.
More casual dining takes place at the 50-seat Orangerie, next to
Seasons. On a nice day, this is the place to be because a large
skylight provides plenty of light.
For all the good things about Orangerie, there's one mark
against it: the music, which was straight out of Lite FM
territory.
The Hotel Grand Palace has one meeting room that holds up to 14
people. There is also a small health club.
Most standard rooms look out on Pils Iela, the cobbled street
that runs in front of the hotel. Rooms are sizable, with a
blue-and-white color scheme and 19th century furniture. All guest
rooms have data ports and in-room safes.
Bathrooms have black-and-white tile floors and massive porcelain
sinks. Guests also will find a variety of bath amenities.
Suites feature a large sitting room and a walk-in closet and are
priced at $370 a night. Standard rooms start at $215, double. All
rates include breakfast.
For its first year of operation, the hotel is offering a single
rate of $125 a night.
The 56-room hotel is part of the Schloessle Group, a small hotel
group owned by Ober-Haus, an Estonian real estate company. Consul
Hotels, based in Great Britain's Channel Islands, manages the
property.
The hotel also is a member of Summit Hotels and Resorts, a U.S.
hotel representation and marketing organization.