The trashier side of Moscow life

This is one of the most expensive hotels in Moscow, where I attended a law conference. I thought the tone of trashy ostentation was well illustrated by this shot of the "chandelier" in the lobby. Sights like this are common in such hotels (mostly American-owned) in Moscow. Roland Worthington-Eyre's splendid hotel in Port Ellen, on the isle of Islay, is a little more tastefully decorated.