Hotel Sonya - St Petersburg

Naming your hotel after a prostitute, even if she is forced into to the “profession” by the actions of her alcoholic father, is a brave move. But then Reval Hotels, the owners of the new Hotel Sonya in St Petersburg, are nothing if not brave. You have to be brave to build hotels in Russia such is the endemic corruption. Reval Hotels, part of the Norwegian real estate investment company Linstow AS, has a strong presence in the Baltic states with nine hotels across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Most of them are larger than the 173-guestroom Sonya Hotel. “As this is our first hotel in Russia and not big (for Reval) we wanted to make a statement,” explains Daniel Nordvaller, Director of Development, “and we did so through the design.”

The interior design of this 19th Century former residential block, was handled by Erik Nissen Johansen, principal of Gothenburg-based practice, Stylt Trampoli. And it was Stylt’s idea to choose the heroine, Sonya, from Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime & Punishment” as the hotel’s name. “The book is studied by all Russian pupils so we knew it would resonate with them”, explains Nissen Johansen, “Sonya was the logical choice (Raskolnikov, the main character, is a murderer) because she is the saviour in the story.”

Strong literary references run through the hotel. Guestroom corridors are criss-crossed with text-patterned carpet whilst the walls are lined with images of stacked books. Each guestroom door sign includes an etched sentence from the book in both Russian and English. Given the courtyard layout of the building some guestrooms look into the glazed atrium used for breakfast. “We used the green-grey birchwood motif in the hangers decorating the atrium to reflect the final chapter of the book, when Raskolnikov takes his punishment in a Siberian prison,” explains Nissen Johansen, “It is a sign of his possible future liberation.”

A collection of copies of Dostoevsky’s book, in various languages, is displayed on shelves in the lobby. Stylt commissioned a small glass-topped table for the lobby into which is etched a city street plan highlighting the route taken by Raskolnikov to commit his murders.
More straightforward Russian references are seen in the stylised flower pattern that crosses the ceiling from the reception area, through the bar and into the restaurant, Metamorfos, with its separate street entrance.

The same pattern, vividly coloured, as it would be in the traditional Russian headscarves that inspired it, is cleverly used to decorate lightweight chain dividers in the restaurant space. At different scales this pattern is also seen in staff uniforms and guestroom carpeting. The underside of the reception desk is decorated with a nest of black Russian dolls, the smallest of which appears to support the weight of the desk, emphasised by being the only one that retains its bright colours. In front of the reception sits a high-gloss, black sofa that opens like a velvet-lined jewellery box, the top of which is beautifully decorated in an orthodox, Russian tourist-style.

The guestrooms are spread over six floors, all inserted as new constructions whilst the listed façade was supported. Guestroom ceilings are painted but the unfinished concrete was left exposed to reference “some of the rawness of the city”, states Nissen Johansen. Patterning is everywhere as are high gloss surfaces and textures – velvet brocade, vinyl, wood flooring, satin-lined herringbone pattern bed throws. Chunky furnishings add solidity to the rooms. Finishes are not all that they might be although significant snagging was still to be completed at the time of our visit.

‘Crime and Punishment’ is possibly the book most reflective of the city of St Petersburg so referencing the locale was obvious. However what has pleased Nissen Johansen most is “the positive and proud reaction of both staff and guests to the interior design”. Even Dostoevsky’s grandson, at the opening, complimented the design, saying that he would have done it exactly the same.

Reval Hotel Sonya
5/19 Liteyny Prospect, 
St Petersburg, 191187 Russia
Tel: +7 812 406 0000
www.revalhotels.com

Rooms 173 guestrooms
Dining Metamorfos Restaurant
Drinking Metamorfos Bar
Facilities 4 meeting rooms & courtyard event space