Here are the future plans for Budapest’s iconic Hotel Gellért! – PHOTOS

At the beginning of December, Hotel Gellért closed its doors in order for the renovation of the 103-year-old building to start. But who will be the new operator, and what changes can be expected? We collected the currently known future plans for Budapest’s iconic building.

A little nostalgia

Over a century of operation, Hotel Gellért went through several changes. As Hungarian news portal Metropol reports, it used to operate as an airport hotel that was later converted into a family aquapark. Few may know that between the two World Wars, Princess Augusta, the granddaughter of Franz Joseph, was a frequent visitor of the hotel. Moreover, the luxury hotel had permanent residents as well. By way of example, a Hungarian elderly lady was living there for a long period in the 2000s. Hotel Gellért was her last residence before Aunt Hédi passed away.

As Hungarian news portal Blikk reports, the legendary hotel was renovated after the Second World War. This was the point when its golden age started. The hotel’s restaurant had been run by Károly Gundel for a long time and gained worldwide recognition during this period. Besides Hungarians, Budapest’s iconic hotel was visited by international legends as well. Just to mention a few of them, US President Richard Nixon, tennis player Boris Becker, and American violinist Yehudi Menuhin also spent a couple of days in the luxury hotel. Hotel Gellért also served as a filming venue. Blockbusters were shot here such as I, the Spy with Eddie Murphy or Evita with Madonna.

Present times

In 2019, Danubius signed an agreement with Hungarian real estate investor Indotek Group to sell Hotel Gellért. The owners of the Danubius hotel chain wanted to find an investor who would allow the iconic building to regain its rightful place among Budapest’s luxury hotels. Accordingly, Indotek Group intends to carry out the complete reconstruction of the building. While preserving the original exterior,