Ritz-Carlton in Budapest Now Open
Earlier this month Ritz-Carlton opened their first property in Hungary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest is located in Elizabeth Square, within a historic building that was first constructed in 1914 as an Italian insurance company. The building still retains much of the elegant architectural details such as the statues on the walls but has been expertly renovated to include a calm and modern interior that has colors inspired by the Danube River.
The location is great, about 30 minutes from Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport, within walking distance to the Hungarian Opera House, and situated right in the middle all the action. The property has views overlooking St Stephens Basilica and Fashion Street, and is close to the Danube River.
If you’re thinking that this hotel sounds familiar, it’s because it was once the Le Meridien Budapest within the Starwood chain, up until September of 2015. After it left Starwood, it stayed open as the Elizabeth Park Hotel while renovation was going on since it was already slated to become a Ritz. It was a disappointing departure, as Starwood no longer has any hotels in Budapest and only a single Four Points by Sheraton in all of Hungary.
To get an idea of what the hotel was like as a Starwood, you can still find a pretty good description of the once-Le Meridien Budapest on Luxury Hotel Budapest’s website.
As a Ritz-Carlton, there are 170 guest rooms and 30 suites, and the Club Level is located on both the 8th and 9th floors of the hotel. The basic Deluxe Room at 390 square feet occupies up to 4 adults and has heated floors in the marble bathroom.
Rates start at 225 EUR, or about 252 USD.
Deak Street Kitchen is the hotel’s Hungarian restaurant that uses local seasonal ingredients and offers indigenous Hungarian wines and beers. There’s also the Kupola Lounge, which offers breakfast and lunch under the hotel’s grand crystal chandelier.
The Ritz-Carlton Budapest will face some fierce competition, as there are lots of great options in the area. There’s the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, an InterContinental, Hilton, an Autograph Collection Marriott, Kempinski, Sofitel.
Although I am a fan of many Ritz-Carlton properties, the fact that there are so many other solid choices in the area means that I’d be very rate conscious.
Have you stayed at this property when it was a Le Meridien? Would you try it as a Ritz?
