The newly extended and refurbished five-star Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg has been selected by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences to receive the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award as one of the finest hotels in its category and classification in the Russian Federation.

The award was presented to the hotel by Joseph Cinque, president and CEO of the academy in the presence of St Petersburg's head of tourism Marianna Ordzhonikidze. The Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg is the first hotel in Russia this year to receive such an accolade from the AAHS, which is awarded for consistency of products and services and overall standards of high quality performance.

"It is a great honour to have our St Petersburg hotel endorsed by the academy so soon after the completion of an extensive renovation and enlargement project that has repositioned the hotel as the top property in the city," said Tony Potter, CEO and managing director of the hotel's operating company CHI Hotels & Resorts. The AAHS is world-renowned for awarding excellence in the global travel and luxury services sector. Each year the academy bestows awards exclusively on five-star establishments that are deemed to be the pinnacle of quality.

"After experiencing the luxurious hotel facilities and the excellent service provided by the hotel staff we were truly impressed", said Mr Cinque during the press conference held in the newly open sumptuous ballroom of the hotel.

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is based in New York City, and is governed by an international board of trustees. All members of the board are respected leaders in the industry and are themselves, world travellers.