As we reported in June, Budapest & Hévíz Baths acquired the Rác spa and the adjacent 67-room hotel this year. Contracts have now been signed and the company is expected to move in from September. Deputy Mayor of Budapest, Erzsébet Gy Németh, stressed that the baths would need further work as they have been practically untouched since 2010.
A technical survey and a business plan will be carried out in the near future, and the renovation will then take place as quickly as possible.
The Rác dates back to Turkish times some 450 years ago and was embellished by the architectural designs of the famed Miklós Ybl in the late 1860s. After war-time damage, it was renovated in the 1960s, but has not been in use for well over a decade. An Italian hotel group then revamped the entire complex, creating an upscale lodging alongside, only for the project to become embroiled in red tape.
