This is not for an institution.
Dozens of outraged tourists criticized on the Internet the only six-star hotel in North Korea for conditions similar to prison.
The hotel “Rangan” in Pyongyang, which the locals call a first-class institution, has received 31 feedback on the website TripAdvisor, and the majority of travelers were extremely dissatisfied with the service and conditions of accommodation in this hotel.
But if you were hoping to stay in the North Korean capital with more comfort than in the “Rangana”, you will be disappointed: a luxury hotel “rügen” at a height of 330 meters, which began to build on 29 years ago still not opened.
Simon Ryder from the UK, staying in the “Rangana” in may 2012, wrote: “the Beds are hard, which I think on the floor would be more convenient… I flushed the toilet and soaked feet”.
Another guest from Cape town (South Africa) agreed with the complaints of the British, wrote in the opinion: “a Classic hotel in the Soviet style. Dark, poorly lit, stone beds, poor nutrition and disruptions in hot water — and that’s not so bad!” However, trying to find some positive, South African tourist said that the stay has helped him to feel North Korean flavor.
David Templeman from Estonia briefly described “Rangan” as “old and cold” hotel. He added: “the Wiring in a terribly bad condition. Half of the outlets are broken and in some places from the floor protrude from the exposed cut wire (which may, under stress)”.
But he noted positive aspects: “From good — large flat-screen TV with one channel, the North Korean propaganda channel, where the female speaker is trying to sound inspirational, while in the background showing clips from Kim Jong-UN, fields and buildings.”
How many rooms are there, is unknown, “Rangana” no website. Many guests tell us that booked the room until they were taken to the bus city tour.
“Rangana” Tripadvisor rating of 2.5 out of a possible five points, and most of the guests said that the hotel was “average” or “bad.”
Looks like North Korea is doing with first-class hotels are not very. For many years tourists waiting for the opening of the hotel “rügen” in high triangular tower with a height of 330 meters. The building of glass and concrete, which cost more than $ 750 million, is still not completed. Work began in 1987 when the grandfather of Kim Jong-UN, Kim Il-sung, and the hotel was supposed to open in two years. According to the calculations of the North Korean leadership, a new hotel tower was to cause envy in South Korea. In 1988 Seoul hosted the Olympic games, and in Pyongyang was set to open the tallest hotel in the world.
The frame is a huge pyramid built quickly, but the work stopped in 1992, after the main sponsor of North Korea, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. For the country it was an economic catastrophe that caused a famine that claimed the lives of about 3.5 million people. What was supposed to become a symbol of technical and engineering superiority of the country has become a meaningless monument and an object of ridicule in other countries.
In the 1990-ies the European delegation inspected the building and concluded that the frame is beyond repair and must be demolished due to poor quality of concrete and curvature of the Elevator shafts. Esquire magazine called it the worst building in the history of mankind. Others called him “Doomed”. The name stuck.
In 2008, after 16 years of inaction, to the surprise of Western observers, the work on the construction of the hotel-giant resumed. In 2011, the concrete structure was strengthened, and the outside of the building revived with a glass value of 146,5 million dollars. Now the hotel sparkles in the sun.
Fate was not as hopeless due to the rich Egyptian group Orascom, which has signed a contract for $ 400 million on the creation of a network of cellular communication in North Korea and in 2008 was appointed the developer of the “rügen”. That investors stoned the building glass and roof-mounted cellular antenna.
