At Corinthia, we always strive to provide the best rates on our website. If you find a better publicly-available rate anywhere else online, we will match it, and discount the rate by a further 10%. Should you find a lower price elsewhere, please submit a claim within 24 hours of your original booking and we will respond within two working days. Please note, this also applies to discounts and promotions available on Corinthia.com.
Process for making a claim:
Step 1. If within 24 hours of a confirmed reservation with Corinthia Hotels made on Corinthia.com, you find a lower rate for the same hotel, room type, inclusions, stay dates, discounts and payment conditions, please contact the relevant email address from the list below to make your claim. All claims must be made within 24 hours of the original booking and at least 24 hours prior to the standard check-in time of the hotel.
Step 2. Your claim should be supported by the URL where the lower rate was found and a screen shot which clearly displays the date of stay, room type, same hotel, inclusions and payment conditions of the lower rate offering on the competing website. Please include your contact information (name, email and phone number).
Step 3. If we are able to verify that the lower rate found qualifies for the Best Rate Guarantee, and all other terms and conditions are met, Corinthia Hotels will match it and discount the rate by a further 10% for the rest of your stay.
Corinthia Hotels guarantees the best online rate on corinthia.com based on the following terms and conditions:
Your original booking must have been made through corinthia.com.
The lower rate must be found and the claim submitted by email within 24 hours of the original booking and at least 24 hours prior to the standard check-in time at the hotel. If the original booking was made within 24 hours of arrival, the Best Rate Guarantee is not applicable.
The Best Rate Guarantee only applies to published rates available to the general public online, which can be found and booked immediately without any kind of restriction or payment restrictions.
The lower rate found must be for exactly the same booking criteria - the same hotel, the same room type, same inclusions, the same stay dates, same number of guests, the same rate description and, if applicable, the same promotion. The cancellation and advance purchase policy and all other terms and conditions of the stay must also be identical. If the claim refers to a reservation consisting of several nights' accommodation, the average rate for each night will be compared to the average rate for each night, for an identical reservation, using the website where the lower rate is found.
Corinthia Hotels will verify the lower rate claim and respond within two working days of the claim being made. *Claims will be processed from Monday to Friday, between 9am to 5pm, at the hotel's local time.
The rate comparison will be made net of any taxes, gratuities or any other fees or charges associated with the room rate, and the lower rate must still be available at the time the hotel validates the claim.
The Best Rate Guarantee is void where prohibited by law. Corinthia Hotels reserves the right to modify or cancel its Best Rate Guarantee policy at any time in its sole discretion and without prior notice.
Corinthia Hotels has the sole right and discretion to determine the validity of any claim, including without limitation, determining that the lower rate found is genuinely available and that the claim meets all terms and conditions. In case of dispute, Corinthia Hotels' decision is final.
In the case of a fully prepaid rate booked through corinthia.com, Corinthia Hotels will refund the difference to your credit card, if applicable, within 30 business days of submitting your claim. Corinthia Hotels is not responsible for any fees associated with cancelling a reservation made through a different channel.
Best Rate Guarantee will be suspended during times where corinthia.com or certain rates are not available due to an outage, a technical issue or a circumstance beyond Corinthia Hotels' reasonable control.
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to rates found offline, negotiated corporate rates, group or MICE rates, opaque provider rates or rates requiring membership in a club or other organization, governmental rates, direct mail or email solicitations, rates offered by providers that do not supply the name or location of the hotel until after a reservation has been made or other rates that are not available to the general public. We reserve the right to deny a claim if the availability of the Competing Rate cannot be independently verified at the time of processing the claim.
The Best Rate Guarantee does not apply to packaged rates. Packaged rates include Hotel accommodations sold as part of a travel package in which the Hotel does not provide all services (including but not limited to airfare and/or car rental, tours etc.) and Hotel accommodations sold with additional amenities.
Corinthia Hotels may deny a claim where the difference between the rates is less than 1%.
If the Competing Rate is in a different currency from the rate booked on corinthia.com, the Competing Rate will be converted into the same currency as the rate offered on our website using the exchange rate as published in www.xe.com in place at the time the initial reservation was made. Discrepancies may occur between Corinthia Hotels' rate and the Competing Rate due to differences in exchange rate sources. If the rate discrepancy is solely due to exchange rate fluctuations, we reserve the right to deny the claim.
Handcrafted and highly ornamented, Russian dolls are an enduring souvenir of the country’s folkloric past
There is no souvenir more synonymous with Russia than the Matryoshka doll. These cheery nested figurines scale down to the tiniest doll at the Matryoshka’s core. Not simply the stuff of curios stores, the Matryoshka doll’s history runs deep. From how they first came about in Russia to their deeper symbolic meaning, here, we take a look through the history of the Matryoshka doll.
The Matryoshka Dolls Historic Origins
Like many Russian legends, there are numerous theories on the Matryoshka doll’s history. It’s generally agreed that they were created in the 1890s by toy workshop Children’s Education in Abramtsevo, founded by patron of the arts Savva Mamontov. Some claim the doll was inspired by a nesting toy featuring the Seven Gods of Fortune that Mamontov’s wife brought back from a trip to Japan, while others say it was simply the ingenious result of the workshop’s ongoing innovation.
Whatever the precise source of her origins, the very first nesting doll, the Rooster Girl, has fast risen to fame as a classic folkloric item. The original was carved by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by the legendary folk crafts painter Sergey Malyutin. Bearing a black cockerel and dressed in a kerchief and work apron, the farmyard-themed doll contained smaller versions, each carrying items emblematic of Russian peasant life: a basket, a sickle, a bowl of porridge, a broom, and a younger sibling in tow. Nestled in the centre was a baby swaddled in a patchwork quilt. The toy workshop named her Matryoshka, or “little mother.”
The Symbolism Of The Russian Doll
Each wooden doll is imbued with the symbolism of fertility. The largest doll is considered the matriarch of the family, while the smallest is called the ‘seed’ and represents the soul. They’re seen as a representation of a chain of mothers carrying on the family legacy through the child in their womb.
In 10 short years since its initial creation, the Matryoshka doll was already making history. In 1900, the doll charmed judges at the World Exhibition in Paris and earned a bronze medal. From there, Matryoshka mania spread like wildfire with Russian manufacturers shipping all over the world. Experimenting with the original Rooster Doll, the dolls began to take on a variety of witty nuances, from political figures and Russian fairy-tale characters to religious icons.
Painstakingly Crafted
Russian dolls are typically crafted from linden or birch and the process starts with the smallest ‘seed’ doll, which is lathed from a solid piece of wood. The ensuing dolls should ideally be made from one single piece of wood to ensure they all fit together correctly: the expansion, contraction and moisture content of each piece of wood is unique. Once carved, the dolls are oiled to retain moisture. They are then surfaced with a glue primer before their ornamental decorations are painted on by hand.
Where To Buy Matryoshka Dolls In St Petersburg
Matryoshka dolls can be found across St Petersburg’s markets as well as in boutiques and souvenir shops. Some of the finest are sold in specialty shops such as Matreshka Tanushka. Here, you can peruse exquisitely painted historic Matryoshka dolls in traditional clothing as well as more contemporary designs adorned with cityscape scenes.
Work from hotel is the new work from home. We take your work as seriously as we take your comfort, so there is no better place to set up when you need a change of scenery.
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