The history of the Hotel

Step back in time with us for a moment, if you will, to Budapest in the 1890s

The official opening of the Grand Hotel Royal, the jewel in the crown of the newly-developed Andrássy Avenue, was taking place. Budapest was in the throes of the Millennium Exhibition, and the hotel was quick to become a favourite haunt of local luminaries like Jenő Heltay, Sándor Hunyadi, Lajos Nagy, and Gyula Krúdy. With a riotous blend of state-of-the-art features and contemporary glamour, the building housed a palm garden, confectioners, cellar bar and grocery store among other things (a bank, post office and hairdresser to name a few). This hub of innovation and activity even attracted the Lumiére brothers, who picked the hotel as the venue for the first screening of a motion picture in Budapest. The cinema became a permanent part of the hotel, and concertgoers were also regularly treated to performances conducted by Béla Bartók himself. In 1909, the hotel even exhibited the very first Hungarian aeroplane.

Like so many grand buildings of its era, the Royal suffered during the Second World War, serving as an office building as well as a hotel. Unfortunate events continued in the 1950s and '60s, with a fire destroying most of the roof, and an extensive restoration project stripping away most of the original interior features. Even the re-opening of the cinema in 1959, now renamed the Red Star cinema, couldn't bring back the magic of that first opening.

When Corinthia re-opened the hotel in 2003, it was only after a loving, record-breaking €100 million renovation, during which restoring elegance was the top priority. Hungarian plasterwork adorns the walls, giving an unmistakeable local flavour. The hotel is a monument to modern luxury, with a tasteful respect for the past evident round every corner.