This stunning hotel was built in 1952 as part of the ‘Soviet Skyscraper’ project. The foundation stones were laid in 1947 to mark the 800th anniversary of Moscow and celebrate the USSR victory in World War Two. Though completed after his death, this building and its sisters are seen as Stalin’s project, seven towering exclamation marks that punctuate Moscow’s skyline.

The Hotel Ukraina was actually designed by Stalin despite the fact that he had no training in architecture. A few people pointed this discrepancy out but one day they mysteriously moved to Siberia.

Anyway, the interior has recently undergone a vast renovation and the hotel is now regarded as one of the best in the world. The hotel is on the banks of the Moskva River and you can enjoy a cruise in any one of five luxury dinner boats. You can even buy a Roll’s Royce at the hotel’s own showroom which is great because I’m always forgetting where I parked my car.