From the very beginning it was alien, it has distorted the view of the Kremlin

Architect Aleksandr Kudryavtsev

Built in 1970, the slab-like edifice symbolised Communist aesthetics and standards of service in Western eyes.

With its mediocre food and rumours of comprehensive bugging, the Intourist found its way into many foreign travellers' anecdotes of holidays in the Soviet Union.

It was renowned for cockroach and rat infestations, and its broken showers.

It also became famous for its nightlife, with numerous prostitutes plying their trade on the street outside.

But it provided thousands of Westerners with cheap holidays, and a base just two minutes' walk from the Kremlin and Red Square.

Eyesore

Architects say the hotel will not be missed, as it distorted the view of the Kremlin from the city's main Tverskaya Street.

The Intourist will be replaced by a more upmarket hotel

"From the very beginning it was alien," said Russian Academy of Architecture president Aleksandr Kudryavtsev.

The Moscow city authorities announced the hotel's demolition three years ago.

In 1999 it was sold to a French company, Superior Ventures, which plans to replace it with a five-star hotel by 2004.

But demolition will be a tricky business, because of the Intourist's proximity to the refurbished National Hotel and other historic buildings.

Rather than being blown up, it may have to be taken apart floor by floor.