Originally Posted by
Palal
Find a hotel that will issue an invite letter (for a fee), and book a refundable rate at that hotel for the entire duration of your stay in the country, pay the fee, get the letter and the visa. Then, refund the hotel.
Going through a
hotel is imho unnecessary and
overly complicated. Just get an invitation letter for a few bucks through one of the reputable agencies, such as
http://waytorussia.net/Travel/VisaSupport.html - this is much more straightforward, and the page linked has excellent step-by-step instructions. I have done it many times myself. I can't think of any upside in getting an invitation through a hotel.