Go easy on me--I'm not a frequent poster, but I get so much useful info from this site that I wanted to return the favor.

Here's a link to a web album with pics of the newly renovated rooms at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in Moscow, Russia.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mindyjos...eat=directlink

The lobby and 2nd floor have already undergone renovation, and are pretty much up to Sheraton standards. Smoking allowed, though.

The room renovations are ongoing, starting with the 7th floor (club floor) and working down. Even the club floor isn't quite finished yet--not all rooms are open and have guests. The club floor is, happily, a smoke-free floor.

Overall, the renovation is a HUGE improvement over the past rooms. Just a list of thoughts about them:

1. Entry way is really narrow. So narrow, that my room door barely clears the closet when I open it. I think I'm in the odd sized room on every floor of every hotel that is about 6 inches smaller than standard. Other renovated rooms have about that much more space in the entry way, which helps, but still is a bit narrow.

2. One king size bed is great, although not quite a sweet sleeper bed. Older rooms have the 2 beds pushed together to make one.

3. Bathroom is small, and the swinging door takes up too much space. For this size of bathroom, a sliding door would have worked much better. If you're in the bathroom, you pretty much have to shut the door to have any room to stand in front of the sink and get ready.

4. Flat screen TV is nice; selection of English channels is limited (but not bad for a foreign country).

Overall, though, I must say I am very pleased with the improvements, considering the older rooms. The decor is modern and nice. There's little things that could be improved, but then again, I think you can say that about most hotel rooms. Once it is complete, this property will be at the middle to high end of Sheraton standards.

I believe this renovation is scheduled to go through the end of 2010, but don't hold me to that.

Happy travels all!