Considered state of the art when built by the Communist authorities in 1967, the Hotel Budapest, known by all as Körszálló, will reopen in September as student dorms and workers’ lodgings. Circular in shape, this towering landmark has dominated the Buda landscape for than half a century but had long fallen out of fashion before the pandemic closures.

Overseen by Danubius Hotels, which also runs the Gellért and Astoria, the Hotel Budapest was built to mark the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and was opened on New Year’s Eve 1967.


Designed by György Szrogh, responsible many public institutions across Hungary such as schools, surgeries and even an observatory, the Körszálló (’Circle Hotel’) required 150 construction workers and the vast sum of 90 million forints to build, at a time when the average salary was around 2,000 forints.

Considering the height of luxury, with prime panoramic views from its upper floors, the Hotel Budapest welcomed the likes of film star Roger Moore and famous Hungarian literary personalities in its heyday.

With the new wave of five-star hotels opening along the Pest embankment, the Hotel Budapest lost its cachet and VIP guests to the Gresham, the Kempinski and the Marriott.

The Danubius group has now decided to create a hybrid operation here in order to fill its 280 rooms layered over 19 floors. Student accommodation should fill a much-needed gap – and it’s not every day that you sleep where James Bond once lay his head.

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