McDonald’s to Open Hotel

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: September 5, 2012 (Issue # 1725)

MOSCOW — 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.