The Four Seasons Gresham Palace is one of the world's great hotels. Built in 1906, this art nouveau masterpiece was originally the headquarters of the Gresham Life Assurance Company. Suffering serious damage during World War II, the Gresham Palace was nationalized by the government of Hungary after the war and turned into an apartment house. However, falling into a hopeless state of disrepair, Four Seasons was hired in 1998 to oversee its transformation into a luxury hotel. After a six year renovation project costing $110 million, the new Four Seasons Gresham Palace Budapest was unveiled.
Even if you're not staying at the Four Seasons, it is worth seeing the lobby and its restored glass domed roof, its mosaic floor (with over 1 million small tiles), and the wrought iron peacock gates. For a special treat during your stay in Budapest, book a Danube view room at the Gresham Palace. (Some of the rooms have small balconies, with larger balconies on the first floor). These rooms feature spectacular views across the beautiful Chain Bridge to the Royal Palace across the river. With everything lit up at night (see the picture above taken from my window), this will be a memory of Budapest you'll continue to enjoy for a lifetime.
Special values are available to guests who book through a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant — including room upgrades upon arrival if available, a complimentary daily continental breakfast for two, and one lunch for two during your stay.
Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest (search here on Google)
copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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