The Hotel Metropol, a Moscow landmark with a past as varied as Russia's turbulent 20th century and a guest list ranging from revolutionaries to foreign presidents, has been sold.
The five-storey Art Nouveau jewel, built by an industrialist and art patron at the turn of the 20th century, sits just off Red Square, opposite the Bolshoi Theatre. The Metropol's façades feature painted mosaics, carved reliefs and ornate iron balustrades.
The hotel was auctioned off by the city of Moscow as part of a privatization program for 8.9 billion roubles ($276 million) to a company acting for hotel entrepreneur Alexander Klyachin, Moscow's property sales department said.
