Another hotel planned for Budapest: The investor behind “Mini Dubai” isn’t giving up

Eagle Hills has taken another step towards realising its ambitions for Budapest. After the failure of the “mini Dubai” development planned for Rákosrendező (in Budapest’s District XIV), the company now aims to register several variants of the Bristol hotel brand in Hungary.

According to a report by G7, the firm has submitted four trademark applications to the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, signalling serious plans for expansion in the capital’s hotel sector.

These are the names the “mini Dubai” investor wants to use in Budapest

The company seeks exclusive rights to use the names Bristol Danube Palace, Bristol Éclat Retreat, Bristol Lionsgate Hotel and Bristol Bellevue Hotel. If the office approves the applications, only Eagle Hills would be allowed to operate accommodation under these names in the future.

Although the procedure is expected to conclude successfully, it may be complicated by the fact that Budapest already has a hotel called Bristol, operated by Accent Hotel Management.

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Eagle Hills first came to public attention with its grand development plans for the Rákosrendező site. Earlier this year, the company’s Hungarian subsidiary was set to purchase the area from the Hungarian National Asset Management Company (MNV) for HUF 50.9 billion (EUR 132.74 million), with plans to build an entirely new district. The project, however, collapsed due to resistance from the city and the exercising of pre-emption rights.

Despite the setback, the investor has not turned its back on Budapest. Just a few months later, it bought the Ministry of Interior’s palace on Széchenyi Square from the state for more than HUF 50 billion (EUR 130.35 million) – a property the MNV had previously proposed for prominent uses, such as a luxury hotel.

Based on the newly submitted trademark applications, it is increasingly likely that the company indeed intends to establish a hotel in the impressive building.

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A strong brand name for the “mini Dubai” investor

The Bristol brand would be a fitting choice: its namesake is a historic hotel in Belgrade, which reopened this year after a full renovation. Since then, the brand has expanded to Albania, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, and another property is currently under construction in Morocco.

If Eagle Hills eventually converts the Széchenyi Square palace into a hotel, the opening is still some way off. The Ministry of Interior is only required to vacate the premises next year, and the expected renovation works could also take considerable time. Nevertheless, it seems increasingly plausible that, following the example of the Belgrade Bristol, the Arab investor’s new premium hotel may soon appear in Budapest as well.