Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge to be replaced by a new hotel chain, with magnificent Danube views

Ennismore, the lifestyle and leisure hospitality company, will launch its SO/ brand in Hungary by opening SO/ Budapest in 2026. The new hotel will be built on the site of the former Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge and undergo extensive renovation inside and out.

SO/ Budapest will offer 350 rooms, including 56 classic suites and two presidential suites. Inspired by fashion and luxury, the room designs will focus on the art of dressing. The press release highlights elegant amenities such as backlit washbasins, open-style closets, dressing mirrors, and a variety of reflective surfaces.

Dining facilities and services

The hotel will offer four diverse dining and drinking venues: a ground-floor terrace restaurant and Carte Blanched café, Ennismore’s in-house F&B concept studio, a lobby café on the first floor, and a rooftop restaurant and club. In addition, the hotel includes more than 740 square meters of meeting and event space, 855 square meters of fitness and wellness facilities, and an indoor swimming pool.

Chadi Farhat, Operations Director of the Ennismore brand, expressed his excitement about bringing the avant-garde design and creative spirit of SO/ to Hungary. He noted that the brand’s chic and social vibe fits perfectly with Budapest’s fusion of culture and modernity.

Brand extension

The Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge hotel closed in December 2020 and was sold by Indotek Group in March 2023 during its renovation.

Ennismore, known as the fastest-growing lifestyle and leisure hospitality company, launched the SO/ brand in 2011. The brand has built a reputation for bold fashion collaborations, working with leading designers such as Guillaume Henry, Christian Lacroix, and Viktor&Rolf to create stylish and sophisticated spaces, uniforms, accessories, and experiences.

SO/ hotels are located in the world’s most dynamic and sophisticated cities, including Berlin, Bangkok, Paris, Dubai, and the Maldives. The brand plans to expand rapidly with a new hotel opening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2025. In addition to SO/ Budapest, Ennismore aims to open more hotels in Hungary, including 25hours, JO&JOE, and Mama Shelter, which are scheduled to open in Budapest in 2024.

Ennismore is a global community of entrepreneurs founded by Sharan Pasricha in 2011. Through their joint venture Accorral 2021, they have created a new independent lifestyle catering entity. Ennismore currently comprises 17 brands, with more than 145 hotels and resorts in operation, more than 100 hotels in preparation, 77 event venues, and around 400 restaurants and nightclubs in more than 35 countries, with 30,000 employees.

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