"The new hotspot in Buda. So says the Kimpton BEM Budapest, which has just opened its doors. The new hotspot, but neither the first, nor the last, since the hungarian capital is the focus of attention for lifestyle brands. Last year, it was the W Budapest, revisiting the trendy hotel Drechsler PalaceThis is a historic building dating from the mid-1880s on Budapest's Champs-Elysées, Andrassy Avenue. Later, in 2026, it will be a SO/ a stone's throw from the Chain Bridge, expected to be housed in the former Sofitel.
Repositioned as a high-capacity lifestyle hotel with 350 rooms and suites and over 740 m² of meeting and event space, the So/ Budapest will feature a host of food and beverage outlets, including a rooftop restaurant and club. Soon, probably in the autumn, Accor will also see JO&JOE, its contemporary brand inspired by new generation youth hostels, set up in the heart of the Hungarian capital's party district. All this at a time when a Pullman hotel - the first in Hungary - also moved into the former Hard Rock Hotel last spring, a stone's throw from the National Opera and Andrassy Avenue.
As for the Kimpton BEM Budapest, located along the banks of the Danube, close to the castle district, revisits a historic manor house from the 19th century.e century into a sophisticated venue, under the guidance of renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. This new top-of-the-range lifestyle hotel offers travellers 127 rooms, including 11 suites, the largest of which has a private terrace of over 80 m². For residents and locals alike, there are three attractive venues, including a rooftop bar and restaurant and another, more intimate bar on the ground floor offering cocktails, cigars and DJ sets at weekends. As for meeting organisers, they will find venues suitable for both large-scale and intimate events, including the M.W. lounge, in homage to Marcel Wanders, and a large ballroom that can accommodate up to 120 guests.
However, this is far from being the only development expected by IHG in the Hungarian capital, where the group already has an InterContinental, an Crowne Plaza and a Holiday Inn. From this summer, its luxurious Vignette Collection will include a new member, Verno House, a 50-room boutique hotel evoking the idea of 19th-century Budapest.e century. But the group also has many projects with a longer time horizonSome are aimed directly at business travellers.
In particular, in 2026, IHG will open the Centrale building complex A Holiday Inn "& Suites" combining a shopping centre, a restaurant and top-of-the-range offices. For the first appearance in Europe of this short and long stay concept with, among its 170 rooms, 25 suites equipped with kitchenette, dining room and sofa beds. An offer that should satisfy business travellers, as the Hungexpo Budapest congress and exhibition centre is located right next door.
Still on the long-stay side, IHG also has a Staybridge Suites in the pipeline, due to open in 2027 in a mixed-use development close to Vaci Road, one of the capital's business districts. Also in 2027, a Holiday Inn Express will open in the southern part of the city, while in a more contemporary style, a Hotel Indigo is due to open in 2028 on prestigious Andrassy Avenue.
Mandarin Oriental takes the plunge in Budapest
IHG and Accor - which will open a Tribe hotel at the airport next year - are not the only hotel leaders strengthening their presence in Budapest. RadissonThe Radisson Group, which already had a Radisson Blu, a Park Plaza and a Park Inn here, completed its network last year with the arrival of its upmarket Radisson brand in the lively Újbuda district, with a hotel offering 198 rooms and five meeting spaces, including a conference room. At the same time, its luxury Radisson Collection brand has been awaited for some time in the Hungarian capital with a 71-room hotel project on Saint-Etienne Square. A project which, as is often the case in the world of hotel development, seems to have fallen behind schedule.
Finally, to conclude this overview of openings in the Hungarian capital, its most emblematic forthcoming opening, the Mandarin Orientalexpected in 2027. The luxury brand is preparing to take the plunge in Budapest with the takeover of one of the legends of the Hungarian capital, the Hotel Gellért. One of the stars of the European hotel industry when it opened in 1918, this Art Nouveau jewel is in the process of being transformed to restore all its prestige without losing its vocation as a major spa hotel, in line with the local spa culture.
The works, which will span several years, include the creation of an indoor swimming pool on the top floor, under a retractable glass ceiling, adjoining a rooftop bar, as well as 143 rooms and suites, all supervised by the interior design studio Alexander Waterworth. The future new pearl of the Danube.
