ST. PETERSBURG, November 14. /TASS/. The first three floating hotels will be built in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city and one of most popular tourist destinations, in 2018, Andrei Mushkarev, the head of the local tourism committee, said on Tuesday.
"The construction of the first hotel has been completed by 90% and it is scheduled to open in May on the Vyborg embankment," Mushkarev said, adding that the four-star hotel will have 76 rooms.
He said that no ships will serve as floating hotels in St. Petersburg, built on a network of hundreds of rivers and canals.
"We will build new pontoon facilities that will be in harmony with the city’s skyline," the official said.
He said the new three, four and five star hotels will offer between 36 and 86 rooms.
According to Mushkarev, St. Petersburg authorities are considering seven more sites to build floating hotels.