In Russia, nothing is ever easy–unless it's suspiciously easy. Everything is boom or bust, sink or swim. Until recently, if you had the right friends, the invisible hand of the marketplace was quite visible. Nowadays, even the Kremlin is struggling to maneuver its way through the global economic mess.
    Last year, the Russian Stock Exchange lost over $1 trillion in shares. Critics point to Russia's heavy reliance on petrochemical exports, the plummeting price of crude oil in the Urals and the state's heavy-handed business methods. Suddenly, Moscow has become a very quiet place: mammoth construction projects have come to an abrupt halt as their financing dries up. Factories are running at a minimum, while a generation of skilled, Western-educated managers have been excused from their desks. Luxury restaurants have more empty chairs than full, and everyone seems to be waiting for the next thing to happen–whatever that is.
    Moscow is still Russia's money town–Muscovites have consistently led the nation in consumer spending on goods and services, but today's epidemic of shy shoppers has put serious strain on local enterprise. The downturn mirrors the general shockwave rippling through Russia's national and international businesses. One telling indicator is that Baltika, Russia's largest beer brewer, recently reported a significant drop in beer sales–the first in over a decade.
    And yet, as per usual with Russia–even when things are bad, bad, bad–die-hard Muscovites find a way to put on their diamonds and party like billionaires. Even now, Moscow refuses to relinquish its title as the world's most expensive city, and the capital's hotels still find joy in charging double for what you'd get in London or Tokyo.
    A reasonable explanation is that one does not “travel to Moscow to do business"–rather, one goes to Moscow to have others do business for them. That attitude is best summed up in the Russian idiom kto kovo, or "Who answers to whom?"ť Moscow's brand of capitalism involves pushing or being pushed, and how you travel and where you dine often determine which category you fall into.    
    Moscow's executive hospitality takes this into account. For example, many hotels claim to be "right next to Red Square," which, for some, is a bit of a stretch.  Savvy travelers check into the Club Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton, which displays a floor-to-ceiling panorama of Red Square and the Kremlin. The Executive Studio Suites offer the same picturesque window view from their deep, green-marble bathtubs. Not only does the Club Level offer some of the largest rooms in Moscow, it seems this special wing of the Ritz is intent on spoiling their guests both with practical perks (big desks, complimentary meeting room, free Internet) and decadent extras (chocolate buffets, the chef's daily special events, regular cocktail hours).
    Equally, the Kempinski's Executive Suites are some of the most luxurious in town. Rotunda-shaped bedrooms make up the prominent corner tower of an alabaster and peach edifice, and feature bright-scarlet drapes and broad, king-sized beds. Located on the banks of the Moscow River, the Kempinski is one of the few addresses where you can wake up in the morning and see directly across to the vivid swirl of Saint Basil's Cathedral. It was also the first Russian hotel accepted into The Leading Hotels of the World association.
    Another personal favorite is the Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow, which stands apart from Russia's frilly crowd of hotels, instead donning a clean, crisp feel with an air of fresh modernity. Executive Suites are furnished with complimentary Wi-Fi, and a table for six that is optimal for private meetings. The small things matter here too, from the Blaise Mautin bathroom products to the heavenly pillows.
    Le Royal Meridien National is Moscow's main power address, located directly across from the beautiful Alexander Garden that borders Red Square. The hotel's Business Suites mimic the plush style of the city's former palaces, with stenciled wallpaper, grandiose ceilings, Renaissance artwork and lavish draperies. The hotel also features a fabulous indoor swimming pool, and a brand new conference room that's optimal for official events. Occupying one of the black-and-white-checkered cushions at the stunning Moskovsky restaurant is a French culinary experience not to be missed.   
    For the pure value of prestige, the Hotel Savoy often garners the best reaction from locals. As a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the Savoy's 67 rooms occupy a pre-Revolution palace, located just two blocks from the Bolshoi Theater. The two-room Business Suites cater to long-term guests, and feature luxury Italian furnishings and heated marble floors in the bathrooms–a welcome extravagance for more than half the year.
    A far more affordable alternative is the Katerina-City Hotel, located just outside Moscow's Inner Ring Road and close to the Paveletskaya Metro Station. Like T-shirts, the 120 rooms come in sizes small, medium or large. Sensible Scandinavian design frames the down-to-earth atmosphere that allows business guests kick back, while also giving them everything they need to get the job done. (Actually, staying here feels like being in Sweden.)  
    Moscow's hipper-than-thou dining scene is impossible to keep up with, but you can at least try. VIP is the city's golden acronym, so, quite often, the more limited access, the better the restaurant. Brand new and ostentatiously trendy, Gusyatnikoff attracts the new-money aristocracy to an elaborate 19th-century mansion for European delicacies. The minimalist-meets-rococo restaurant BON is dripping with Phillipe Starck's most provocative designs, including lamps fashioned from Soviet machine guns, a mounted rhinoceros head, and an eclectic mash-up of Slavic and Gothic decadence. Moscow's jet-setters love it. The Baccarat Crystal Room is the city's best address for a Champagne toast–both for the Champagne and the crystal glass you're toasting with. The private Baccarat-owned restaurant delivers fine French cuisine on the world's finest dishware. Nevertheless, if you're in search of a reliable (and original) gourmet dinner, then nothing beats restaurant Jeroboam at the Ritz. The menu is a festival of French flavors, and this may be one of the best wine lists and cheese plates in the country.
    Despite the economic downturn, improvements in air travel are moving forward. At the beginning of 2009, Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) went under the knife for a serious facelift, due for completion this fall. The much-needed upgrade will link the two older terminals, as well as add a third terminal in order to double the airport's capacity and offer a more efficient travel experience. Among the many planned improvements, the new-and-improved Sheremetyevo will service Airbus A380s and feature a brand-new international business center.
    Until that happens, Sheremetyevo's shortcomings make Domodedovo International Airport (DME) the preferred entry point for international travelers to and from Moscow, not least for its high-speed rail link to Moscow's city center. Long-term expansion efforts seek to accommodate over 25 million passengers per year by 2012, while several new regional routes offer easy transfers from Moscow to the Urals and Siberia. Despite all the frosty rhetoric between Washington and Moscow, United Airlines has just launched a direct flight between the rival capitals–from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Domodedovo.
    Crisis or no, Moscow remains one of the world's top financial capitals–Russia has what the world wants and nobody should underestimate the worldwide reach of this one city's influence. In economic terms, the near future remains enigmatic, but in Russian terms, things will eventually get easier. 

DETAILS

Hotels

Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow, 4 Neglinnaya Street; tel. 7-495-783-1234; www.moscow.park.hyatt.com
Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow, 1 Ul. Balchug; tel. 7-495-287-2000; www.kempinski-moscow.com
Hotel Savoy, 3/6 Ul. Rozhdestvenka; tel. 7-495-620-8500; www.savoy.ru/en
Katerina-City Hotel, 6 Shluzovaya Naberezhnaya; tel. 7-495-795-2444; www.katerinahotels.com/moscow/en
Le Royal Meridien National, 15/1 Mokhovaya; tel. 7-495-258-7000; www.national.ru/english
Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, 3 Tverskaya Street; tel. 7-495-225-8888; www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Moscow

Restaurants

Baccarat Crystal Room, 19-21 Nikolskaya; tel. 7-495-933-3389; www.baccarat.com
BON, 1, 4 Yakimanskaya; tel. 7-495-737-8008; www.bonmoscow.ru
Gusyatnikoff, Alexandra Solzhenitsyna 2A; tel. 7-495-632-7558; www.novikovgroup.ru Jeroboam, 3 Tverskaya Street; tel. 7-495-225-8888; www.ritzcarlton.com
Moskovsky, 15/1 Mokhovaya; tel. 7-495-258-7068; www.national.ru/english