Lenin stayed at this hotel, and so did Trotsky. The hotel, owned by Le Meridien since 1995, opened in 1903 and has been the premier Moscow hotel ever since, in part because of its location, directly across the street from Red Square. It's been renovated several times since then, of course, but it still holds on to some old-fashioned glamour, with a lobby filled with red velvet and antique furniture that looks worthy of a museum. Rooms are large and comfortablem with Red Square views, high ceilings, beautifully upholstered furniture, elegant curtains, gilded lamps, polished parquet floors, paintings of Russian landscapes, and impeccably paired color schemes, with the accent on gold.