Support The Moscow Times!

McDonald's Opens First Hotel

Minnikhanov, third from right, and Khazbulatov, to his left, at the ground-breaking.

McDonald's has broken ground on a new hotel for families of patients at the Republic Children's Clinical Hospital in Kazan.

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and Khamzat Khazbulatov, the head of McDonald's Russia and Eastern Europe, attended the ceremony, which took place last week.

Ronald McDonald House is a "home away from home" for families whose children are undergoing long-term care at the hospital, according to a statement from the fast food giant. The company's charity program has supported construction of 317 such mini-hotels in 31 countries, but this is the first such project in Russia.

According to a statement from McDonald's, the hotel will be situated on a 2,000-square-meter plot of land on the territory of the hospital, near its main building. It will have 24 bedrooms, a living room, a playroom for small children, a video game room and computer class for teenagers and a cafeteria. The first floor of the building will be adapted for children with specific health problems. The Ronald McDonald House is designed to provide accommodation to 600 families in the course of a year.

Construction is scheduled for completion by July 2013.

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more