The Hotel National, in Moscow, Russia, has become the first hotel in the country to open under Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Luxury Collection brand.

The 206-room hotel, which was built in 1903, has just undergone the first phase of an extensive renovation programme and is now operating as the Hotel National, A Luxury Collection Hotel. Phase two of the renovation is to start in 2012 and the work is expected to be complete by the end of 2012.

This hotel is Starwood's third property in Moscow, alongside the 204-room Sheraton Palace Hotel and the 131-room Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.

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