Hotels of Odessa

Development of Odessa hotels since the foundation of Odessa

Foundation of Odessa

Ever since it appeared, the small settlement of Odessa, ever muffled in a thick haze of cannon-fire or accompanied by incessant clinking of sabers and spears on battlefields near Hadjibey, where Duke De Ribas fought against Turks - all the prominent founders of Odessa had always predicted the town's immense and speedy growth as an important trade and port site - the centre of buoyant merchandise activity in the entire Black Sea region.

«See to it that the town of your reign be a true shelter for any merchant or visitor; seek ample protection for them against weather, robbers and the like: as a consequence, our own merchandise shall, no doubt, thrive there as well, thus paving the way to a swift growth of the town's residents!»

taken as an abstract from a speech by Catherine the Great addressed to Duke de Ribas

Thus, the small settlement of barely 2349 residents (according to the census of 1795) soon grew to as much as 9000 residents within only 7 years, in another 30 years - the town already boasted a number of 60000 of its residents!

Pioneer-hotels of Odessa

It was not until then, that Odessa had proved to attract many visitors or settlers. Initially, those had primarily been rich merchants; later, rich manufacturers already began to draw their major business to Southern Palmyra (another, poetic name for Odessa).

Various kinds of craftsmen and workmen soon came to settle in Odessa to ensure its stable development as a town. Last but not least, those were also many regular visitors to the town, both business and leisure. Just at this time it was appeared as a new form of business, Odessa accommodation service. Later it had given birth to Odessa's first hotels...

For instance, one of the first hotels built in Odessa was "Hotel du Nord" (also known as "Severnaya"), located at the former 13 Italyanskaya Street, nowadays known as Pushkinskaya Street - was owned by a famous merchant Charles Cichard. In those times it was a middle-sized lodge property inclusive of several guestrooms, coach garages and stalls for the horses. It was that very hotel that eventually became a permanent lodge for Aleksandr Pushkin who came to reside here on June 3d, 1823.

Quite near, at 6 Italyanskaya Street, Hotel "Parizhskiy" was established whereas at 31 Deribasovskaya Street, - Hotel "Frantsiya" was to be found.

A building on the former Bulvarnaya Street (now it is Primorskiy Boulevard) became the residential place for another famous Odessa hotel - Hotel "Londonskaya", which was patronized by many prominent people, among them: Anton Chekhov, Aleksandr Kuprin, Sir Robert Lewis Stevenson, Ivan Aivazovskiy...

Altogether, by 1930, Odessa already boasted as many as 20 hotels of various calibers.

Hotel Business in Its Prime

The town of Odessa continued its architectural and cultural growth and development and, it soon gained fame not only of a port landmark, yet also that of a fashionable resort area. Furthermore, 2nd half of the 19th century saw birth of a series of luxury hotels providing high-end service to their guests: Hotel "Imperial" and Hotel "Bolshaya Moskovskaya" - on the Main Street; Hotel "Bristol" - at 15 Italyanskaya Street; Hotel "Passage" - at the corner of Preobrazhenskaya and Deribasovskaya Streets.

For instance, Hotel "Imperial" comprised 54 exquisite guestrooms. The cost of overnight stay in that hotel at that time ranged from 75 kopecks up to 5 rubles. Herewith, on the ground floor, many shops and stores were established: tobacco trade, furs, a regional headquarters of the famous "Singer" firm.

Hotel "Bolshaya Moskovskaya" also ranked as a first-class yet a cheaper lodge property in Odessa. Overnight stay in that hotel was for a minimum of 1 ruble per night. Certain residents also found permanent lodge here. On the ground floor of the hotel several trade outlets were set up, among those: a tea shop, a lamp shop, a grocery store. Restaurant "Tatarskiy" was also located within the hotel building. As a matter of fact, the hotel building had been designed as a profit-generating property.

By the verge of the 19th-20ieth centuries about 40 hotels had been established in Odessa. Luxury and d?cor of the newly-built Odessa hotels were highly acknowledged by Vertinskiy, Sara Bernard, Gumilyov, Shalyapin, Lesya Ukrainka, Gogol, Belinskiy, Zan'kovetskaya and many other well-known visitors to Odessa.

In fact, the majority of the old-fashioned buildings that had served as first Odessa hotels - still function as hotels even nowadays. Other buildings were only later refurbished and converted into hotels. Among the latter: a young Ayvazovsky Hotel, located at 19 Bunina Street (old-fashioned building, erected in 1852 under architect's I. Kozlov's project and historically owned by merchant Abramson), Hotel "Mozart" (a former aristocratic club, located at 13 Lanzheronovskaya Street), Hotel "Kontinental" (located at 5, Deribasovskaya Street).

Fomin Aleksandr
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