Taleon Imperial Hotel

I stayed in a deluxe suite at the Taleon for my wedding night and for my birthday the day after. The night we arrived the woman at reception was a bit brusque (not rude exactly, but not definitely not welcoming) so I came away thinking perhaps I'd made the wrong choice of hotel for such an important occasion, but perhaps that was just a one off staff member having a bad day because from then on the service was superb. The level of English was good and everything I rang down for was done quickly and professionally. The room, as you would expect for the price, was exquisite and comfortable - the bathroom especially was gorgeous. I'd definitely stay here again for another special date. It was just a shame that some things in the hotel are closed currently as a result of the Covid pandemic. The Atlases in the central lobby would have been great to get a couple of photos with but the lights were turned off. I guess there aren't many guests for high end hotels at the moment so they're trying to save money. All in all and that unexpected first impression aside my wife and I had a wonderful stay and I'd definitely recommend the Taleon to anyone wishing to stay at one of the posher hotels Petersburg has to offer. The winning factor for me was that compared with the Hotel Europe and the Astoria the Taleon certainly offered more for the same money.

The rooms are large and impressively decorated. The staff were all very helpful, especially the concierge Natalyia. Delicious breakfast buffet too. Great location, even though the hotel is on a Main Street, our room was quiet. We definitely will recommend this hotel to others and will stay here during our next visit to St. Petersburg.

So my brother and I stayed at the Taleon for 4 nights in September. The rooms were solid, but the hotel fell short in many other categories. Location: pretty decent. It's close to many of the main sites in city center. That being said, there are tons of hotels with good if not better location. Rooms: solid. Clean and comfortable. Nice bathrooms with good showers. A/C was available. Service: not great in my opinion. Here's an example. I asked the concierge Natalia to book us a train reservation. It's a known thing that booking through an agency will increase the ticket price by about 50%. I knew exactly what train I wanted, so I asked her to book through rzd.ru - basically book direct. She apologized and told me they always go through an agency because it's easier. I'm sure it is easier for the concierge. But as a patron of the hotel, I expect the concierge to work on my behalf not just do the easiest thing and pass cost to me. Not a big deal, but a good example of the level of service we received at the Taleon. Of note, our hotel in Moscow clued me into booking direct and advised me not to go through an agency because of the price hike. Bar: pretty bad. Something about the configuration along with a big gaudy flat screen stuck in the middle of the place makes for a terrible place to enjoy a drink. Front desk: mixed reviews. Some were nice and some were just adequate. My brother dropped off some postcards to be mailed with postage already attached. He still had to pay 100 rubles/postcard. I am still blown away by that. Spa: standard massage. Nothing special. The lead up to the massage was awkward for many reasons. Here's an example. Once we booked, they told us to change into robes in our rooms and then come back to the spa. I asked if they had some dressing rooms, and the spa reception confirmed, I needed to change in my room first. I'm not shy, but it was weird considering they have dressing rooms. In short, the Taleon was totally adequate, but in my opinion, we paid a premium for subpar service.

Beautiful hotel but outdated when it comes to 5 star amenities - staff very strict and rude at times Ex had early morning train and wouldn’t give us any coffee before we left even though it was 715 and breakfast opened at 730 they said we have to wait

The hotel is located on Nevsky Prospect. Which is ideal to walk to all the main sights and museums. The metro, bus and train station are close. There are many restaurants and bars nearby. The hotel is situated in a unique building, a old palace. There are many beautiful chandeliers, marble and ornaments. But I think extra floors are fitted in, what makes it look a bit strange and you can easily get lost. Some of the lights are not on, which makes it a bit dark. I would advise the hotel to light up the hotel better. We had a very spacious room and a double bathroom. The interior is old fashioned, but in good condition. Breakfast was nice, with enough choices and a egg station. Drinks and the minibar are a bit expensive. The food in the Victoria restaurant is truly amazing and not expensive. It also has a nice terrace overlooking a part of the city. I recommend to eat there! The pool and spa are very nice as well.