Hotel Gellért 4.97

The Danubius Hotel Gellért is a historic Art Nouveau hotel on the river Danube in Budapest, Hungary, opened in 1918.HistoryConstruction on the Hotel St. Gellért started in 1912. The hotel was named for St. Gellért (St. Gerard Sagredo) the first bishop of Hungary in the 11th Century. The 176-room hotel was designed by Hungarian architects Ármin Hegedűs, Artúr Sebestyén and Izidor Sterk. Work on the hotel slowed due to World War I, and it did not open until September 1918, just as the war was ending and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was descending into chaos. The hotel was commandeered for military use throughout 1919, during the Aster Revolution. Once Hungary was established as an independent country, the hotel operated so successfully that it was expanded in 1927 with the addition of 60 more rooms and a wave pool. Noted Hungarian restaurateur Károly Gundel took over management of the hotel's restaurants in 1927 as well. In 1934, the hotel added a jacuzzi pool.The hotel was severely damaged in World War II. Post-war Communist authorities removed the "St." from the hotel's name and it became the Hotel Gellért. Restoration of the Gellért Hill wing began in 1946, while work on the main Danube River wing began in 1957. Restoration work was completed in 1962. The hotel was again renovated in 1973. Danubius Hotels assumed management of the hotel in 1981. After the company was privatized in 1992, it purchased the hotel outright in June 1996. The adjoining spa is owned and operated by the City of Budapest.