Prestige Hotel, Budapest

Architects: Péter Hegedűs, Ágnes Bolyó
Text: Eszter Götz
Photos: Gábor Erdélyi, Viktória Győrfi

Sometime before the twin towns of Pest-Buda evolved into an integrated metropolis named Budapest within only a few decades, the elderly József Hild constructed a tenement block in a tiny street just behind the building of the Hungarian Academy of Science. By taking a step away from his own Revivalist Classicist style, this time he had a sense for the taste of the new era, and thus produced a three-storey house with a dynamic facade design interspersed with Eclectic stylistic characteristics. Converted from a residential building into an office block in the latter half of the 20th century. the values of the structure started to gradually peel off as a result of frequent rebuildings. Consequently, the building has deteriorated into a sadly poor condition by the turn of the millennia. Its reconstruction project started in 2004, but has been left off owing to changes in ownership. As a result, it was purchased by Mazen Al Ramahi in a half-finished condition. The new owner has already ready proven by Continental Hotel in Dohány Street that the long-decaying historic values of Budapest can not only be enlivened in an authentic way but they also offer great opportunities for business interests. One of the factors that guarantee success here is the building itself as it is centrally located and has preserved its genuine and unimitable charm of the upper middle class citizens of Pest. Another factor contributing to success was that its architect, Péter Hegedűs has now designed the third Pest-based hotel of the same client in co-operation with Ágnes Bolyó. The concept was based on the client’s intention to preserve the original character of the building as intact as possible, as well as to integrate former conversions made to the original structure. This is how the six-storey four-star plus superior 85-room hotel was born behind the three-storey street facade crowned with a gable roof. Its values and atmosphere, as well as its interior design closely associated with urban lifestyles via new functions are meant ro meet the needs of guests who are much more demanding and generous than the average without overwhelming its immediate neighbourhood with the challenging and flashly presence.

General architecture: Petur Studió Bt.
Architects: Péter Hegedűs, Ágnes Bolyó
Interiors: Virág Vörös – NAADAM Kft, Csilla Sáfrány, Tünde Bagyinszkyné Kiss – StudioLoft Bt.
Structure: György Surányi – M.Plan Kft.
HVAC: Pál Darabos, Balázs Varga – Green Terv Kft., Kovács Lászlóné
Electrical engineering: Zsuzsanna Homonnay – Inter Ház Tech Bt.
Light current network: Péter Kovács – Inter Ház Tech Bt.
Environment: Éva Jávor – Inter Ház Tech Bt.
Fire protection: Áron Kerényi – Inter Ház Tech Bt.
Project manager: Zsolt Nyárondi†, Róbert Béres