The Hotel Budapest is a landmark of Hungary’s capital city, and more commonly known as “Körszálló” or the “Round Hotel” thanks to its cylindrical shape. Körszálló opened on New Year’s Eve 1967, and was one of the most high-profile construction projects of Hungary’s communist era, costing a whopping 90 million forints to build. 

The hotel was hugely popular with celebrities in its heyday, with guests including Roger Moore, writer Heinrich Böll, Mária Szepes and Hanna Honti. Hungary was one of the more open socialist states before the end of the Cold War, and the Hotel Budapest was one of the centres for international mixing – it’s said waiters at the hotel’s famed terrace could earn enough hard currency in tips over just a few weeks to buy themselves a holiday home. 

After the fall of the iron curtain the hotel remained in operation, becoming part of the Danubius Hotels Group. However, the downturn of tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic forced the owners to take Körszálló out of service as a hotel, and instead lease it for use as long-term accommodation by students and workers as of late 2021.