Meininger to launch hybrid hotel/hostel in Budapest
German hospitality chain Meininger is setting up its first Budapest branch by the Great Market Hall. Available for stays from 1 April, this 855-bed property offers many of the brand's popular services, including breakfast buffet, lunch boxes, shuttle buses to the train station, free WiFi throughout and late check-out options. Dormitories, shared rooms, family suites and single/double rooms are available at this hybrid of hostel and three-star hotel. A bar and game zone with table football will also feature.
Champagne nights at the Kempinski
Through 28 April, an effervescent show accompanies bubbly conversations at the Living Room, an intimate bar within the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus. Sitting by the fireplace, guests can indulge in a sabrage ceremony, when three types of premium champagnes by the French Taittinger brand are uncorked with a firm swipe of the sword. Taking place every evening from 6pm, Ignite the Night costs 9,900 forints and celebrates 120 years of Kempinski hospitality around the world.
Folklore Fridays at Araz
Whirling skirts and stomping boots are being paired with Hungarian bean soup and Gundel pancakes for a new gastronomic event hosted by the Araz restaurant within the Continental Hotel Budapest. Every Friday from 8 March, this downtown dining destination offers a fully fledged folk-dance show and classics of local gastronomy, introducing foreign visitors to Hungarian culture and cuisine. Admission costs 12,500 forints.
MHC Hotel to open at Mikszáth Kálmán tér
A storied building by the intersection of Szentkirályi utca and Mikszáth Kálmán tér is being transformed into a 60-room hotel operated by the MHC group. Plans call for a six-storey lodging to be added to this fin-de-siècle building, formerly housing the Lumen Café and other bars in the city’s Palace Quarter in District VIII. Designed by local architects Archimánia Építész, the hotel is due to open in 2021.
Mercure Budapest City Center wins hotel of the year
Mercure Budapest City Center has just been awarded hotel of the year by the MUISZ Association of Hungarian Travel Agencies. Offering 239 guest rooms on downtown shopping street Váci utca, this branch of the French AccorHotels group received a thorough makeover in 2017. Its lobby is where the WineStone concept restaurant is found, focusing on Hungarian libations and gastronomy.
New chefs at the Marriott
The Budapest Marriott Hotel welcomes two new chefs, Konstantinos Kranakis and Roland Varga,to oversee their new restaurant DNB Budapest opening in March. Kranakis is an award-winning chef with over 25 years’ international experience at deluxe hotels, including the Four Seasons in Athens and Hilton hotels in London and Baku. Varga brings his local expertise gained at such leading Budapest dining destinations as Robinson and Bestia. DNB Budapest Modern Hungarian Wine Bar + Kitchen will offer a seasonally changing menu of international and traditional Hungarian cuisine, offered to diners in a 210-seat stand-alone eatery, with a panoramic terrace. DNB will replace the current Peppers! Mediterranean Grill.
New Director of Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest brings Yekaterina Ulyanova on board, as the hotel’s new Director of Rooms. She is responsible for perfecting performance and operations, and maintaining the legendary excellence of service which is the hallmark of The Ritz-Carlton brand. Ulyanova comes to Budapest by way of Moscow, where she worked for several years at the same hotel firm.
Meanwhile, in line with upcoming Central European Fashion Week, The Ritz-Carlton is creating stylish cocktails to match the event: peach-tree, lime, honey, ginger are among the ingredients that will make the bar’s delicious concoctions even more irresistible. The offer is available between 28 and 31 March, 5pm-11pm.
Cocktails inspired by Hungarian inventions at the InterContinental
The Corso Bar at the InterContinental Budapest is offering guests its unique cocktail collection inspired by renowned Hungarian inventions. Besides featuring freshly blended flavours, these drinks also impress with their appearance. The Rubik’s Cube comes to you in a matching mug and a real version of the square-shaped puzzle on one side – there’s even a prize after you solve it. Contrived by Hungarian chemist János Irinyi, the safety match now has a cocktail version, ideal at the onset of any hot night out in town. Cocktails can be enjoyed on the hotel’s heated terrace along the panoramic Danube Promenade.
