PHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungarian castle hotel among the Heritage Awards winners

Heritage Hotels of Europe, a federation of hotel associations, has held its awards gala recently. The aim of the hotel competition is to recognise the most outstanding historic hotels in Europe. At this year’s awards gala, held in Hungary, a local hotel also received a special prize.

Hungarian award winner

The Heritage Awards have been held since 2018. But due to the pandemic though, this international competition was temporarily halted in 2019. After a two-year hiatus, the 2022 awards were presented at the Castle Hotel Szidónia in Röjtökmuzsaj, Hungary. The Hungarian hotel that hosted the gala received the Host of the Year Award.

According to the website of Heritage Hotels of Europe, the history of the castle building dates back to 1774. The hotel is located near the Austrian border, close to Lake Neusiedlersee. One of its special features is that the hotel’s pools are fed by its own springs. The castle has been tastefully renovated and converted into a hotel. As described on the website, the hotel retains the atmosphere of the old days, yet still offers guests the comfort of today.

Read also: PHOTOS, VIDEO: Surroundings of Hungary’s only Renaissance castle to get a makeover

Photo: Facebook/Schlosshotel Szidónia Kastélyszálloda

Photo: Facebook/Schlosshotel Szidónia Kastélyszálloda

The awards gala

Magyarorszagom.hu has also reported in detail about the event. As they write, the ceremony was attended by numerous owners of historic hotels and several representatives of the travel industry. In addition, travel and lifestyle journalists were among the guests. Hotels from several different countries, nominated by the public, were judged by an experienced seven-member jury in seven categories. The categories are as follows: Design, Wellness, Gastronomy, Hospitality, Culture, Romance and Host of the Year.

In fact, this is not the first time that the Castle Hotel Szidónia has won an award. In 2019, the hotel took first place in the Hospitality category. On that occasion, a Special Award was also presented in the category Experience, which also went to a Hungarian hotel. This award was given to the Almásy Mansion (Gyula, Hungary).

The list of all previous and this year’s winners can be found HERE.

What makes the castle hotel special

The 4-star wellness hotel offers wellness lovers a wide range of services, not only for hotel guests, but also for guests who are not staying at the hotel. Their spa house offers indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and massage to help guests recharge their batteries. In addition, as written on the hotel’s website, relaxation is also guaranteed with Kneipp Rondelle, a steam bath with aromatherapy, a quiet room with relaxation beds and a fitness room.

Furthermore, guests can also enjoy their lunch or dinner at their high quality restaurant. In addition to the restaurant, the hotel also has a cocktail bar and a café.

A special feature of their outdoor pool is that it was designed by Alfréd Hajós, Hungary’s first Olympic champion. Another characteristic of the hotel is the fact that they get high quality, drinkable mineral water from their local wells, which they use not only to fill their pools, but also to provide the water that flows from the taps in their rooms.

Here is a video of the Hungarian castle hotel: