With its geometrically designed shiny white facade and its typical, bending surfaces this hotel blends in with the structure of the surrounding buildings, yet it still remains a characteristic spot of the 8th district streets.

Józsefváros, particularly the close area of Keleti Railway Station, is currently being renewed. This neighbourhood has always had a central importance regarding city traffic so it seemed pretty obvious to establish a small hotel that provides quality services to the transiting visitors. The Festetics street investment is a development on a vacant lot in an unbroken row of buildings. The difficulty of the location is that the entire block is rather neglected and the other side of the street is dominated by the unfriendly brick facade of a police building with a solid fence. Looking towards the axis of Festetics street, one can observe the main entrance of the late 19th century eclectic building of the railway station. To the other direction there is the neglected yet partially protected building complex of Péterfy Sándor Utcai Hospital-Clinic and Trauma Centre built in 1937-39. Our task was to create a contemporary modern building considering these specific circumstances.

The hotel will consist of a ground floor plus 6 floors and will have 88 rooms altogether. On the ground floor there will be the lobby opening to a small green terrace towards the courtyard, a bar and a restaurant with a warming kitchen. Parking will be in a two floor underground car park. On the top floors rooms are facing either the street or the courtyard on two sides of a main corridor.

The facade follows the classical structure with a contemporary twist. The usual ornaments and carefully designed crafted decorations are conjured by the curved glass surfaces standing out from the front level of the building.

The two facades of the building, adjusting to the location and the function, are simple but unique. The rhythm of design follows the structures of the surrounding houses. However, here, instead of the usual windows there are glass panels that emerge from the surface. In front of the windows there are painted glass elements fixed on a curved steel structure, that make the shiny white, aluminium panels of the facade peculiarly sculpturesque. This solution is not only pretty but it also lets light through and directs the view to the sides.

The sand colour plaster of the ground floor stands out from the rest of the facade, defining the curvature expanding, glassed entrance zone. The finely arched portal of the lobby is reflected in the garden side facade of the restaurant area too. The building will be opened to the public around the autumn of 2023.

Project Info

  • Project Name Hotel Festetics
  • Location 9 Festetics utca Budapest, H-1087
  • Gross Area 3247.7 m2
  • Years of Design 2020-2022
  • Client F9 Ingatlanbefektetési Llc.
  • General Design BORD Architectural Studio
  • Head Architect Péter Bordás
  • Coordinating Architect Réka Zsólyomi
  • Architect Team Zsolt Belányi, András Fábry, Linda Lente-Papp, Viola Tóth
  • Structural Engineering Kerek és Pintér Mérnöki Iroda Llc. - István Kerek
  • Mechanical Engineering BORD HVAC Engineering Llc. - Zoltán Hollókövi
  • Garden and Landscape Architecture BORD Mechanical Engineering Studio - Andrea Waldmann
  • Electrical Engineering Artrea Consulting Llc. - Zoltán Üveges
  • Visual Design Homologue - Zoltán Ölbey