SOCHI, Russia — The pressure is on at hotel construction sites in Sochi, Russia, as a number of properties are still not ready for the upcoming Winter Olympics, which run from Feb.6 to Feb.22.
According to various news reports, some hotels are either not finished, not clean or are missing telephones and televisions.
CNN reported that at least one international hotel has been affected. Swissotel Sochi was supposed to receive guests in January, but instead it will receive its first guest on the eve of the opening ceremonies. “It was slightly delayed, we planned to open last month,” Swissotel’s Oliver Kuhn told Reuters. “Certainly I have worked in areas where the construction speed was a bit faster than here, but, at the end of the day, we reached our target to be ready for the Games.”
Construction workers are also working on the Gorki Grand Hotel, where the media is staying. So, the Sochi 2014 organizing committee has issued a letter letting the members of the media know that the opening of the hotel has been postponed due to “troubles with water.”
The International Olympic Committee is downplaying concerns. “There are still some issues to be solved as it is always just before the Games, but also in this respect we are in contact with the organizing committee, and we hope the situation will be solved in the next couple of days,” Thomas Bach, IOC president, was quoted as saying by CNN.
