With a façade that alternates between neo-Gothic and French Renaissance styles, and an ideal position on Budapest's Champs-Elysées, Avenue Andrassy, the Drechsler Palace imposes its bourgeois allure in the heart of the Hungarian capital. A prestigious location The W Hotels brand has now given it a new lease of life.
Formerly the headquarters of the Hungarian State Railways pension fund before becoming home to the national ballet academy, this historic building dating from the mid-1880s has been reborn as a top-of-the-range design hotel. Without having to deny its rich pasta reinterpretation by interior designers Bowler James Brindley and Bánáti + Hartvig. These include pas de deux reminiscent of ballet, with lighting inspired by the graceful fluidity of the dancers and floors in pink marble, and two suites - one entirely black, the other immaculate white - evoking Swan Lake.
But the hotel's interior decor also establishes it in its city through details that play on the local passion for chess, including lamps in the shape of custom-made chess pieces. The W Budapest also pays homage to the Hungarian celebrities who conquered the New World, glamorous icons such as Zsa Zsa Gabor and Harry Houdini, whose art of illusion is expressed in surprising mirror effects in the spawith five treatment rooms and an indoor swimming pool.
In total, the W Budapest offers 151 rooms and suites, as well as, of course, a wide range of services. innovative restaurant concepts. The hotel has a basement speakeasy, Society25, while its main restaurant, Nightingale by Beefbar, focuses on Asian flavours and meat specialities, accompanied by creative cocktails. Integrated into the Nightingale restaurant, the W Lounge is the hotel's social epicentre.
At times a party place in the evening, with DJ performances, the lounge takes on a more serious air during the day, for business meetings and light lunches. Business travellers will also find plenty of meeting space at the hotel, with two Studio Rooms and a dedicated events room, the Great Room.
This opening in Budapest, following that of the W Rome in 2021embodies the evolution of the lifestyle brand, which is aiming to rediscover its identity. pioneering spirit with sophisticated hotels tailored to the new generation of luxury travellers. " The opening of W Hotels in Budapest marks a key milestone and symbolises a new era for the design philosophy of this iconic brand." said George Fleck, Global Brand Manager for W Hotels.
