Carol Parc Hotel

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Carol Parc Hotel

The Carol Parc Hotel in Bucharest, Romania, is a five star hotel near historical Carol Park. Opened in 2007, it quickly gained the reputation as one of Bucharest's most exclusive (and expensive) boutique hotels.^[1] It contains one of the largest Murano crystal chandeliers in the world, stretching over four stories tall. Several important personalities have stayed there so far, including foreign dignitaries, singer Beyonce Knowles, and Deep Purple.

Located in the heart of Bucharest, on Aleea Suter Str. near historical Carol Park, the hotel resides on one of the city's highest geographic locations, the Filaret Hill. Stunning views of Bucharest can be seen from the property, including a great view of the Palace of Parliament, Unirii Square, and the park itself. The cul-de-sac is named after Suter (Aleea is Romanian for "alley"), a German architect who helped in the planning of the park and parts of the neighborhood, including the symmetrically built Suter street.

[edit] Press coverage and awards

The Carol Parc Hotel has won the praises of critics, international press, and guests alike. Newsweek included the hotel in its "Best of Romania" article, later following up with an exclusive in which the extravagant services are detailed.^[2]

Condé Nast Traveler included the hotel in its Hot List 2008, saying "the intimate 17-room hotel displays the trappings of Europe's grandest hotels...."

Peter Imre, a Romanian restaurant critic, compared the hotel and its POEM Restaurant to the luxurious venues of the Interbellum Era, saying that "Sitting here, you expect King Carol and Queen Elisabeta to enter at any time."^[3].

The building also received an award for "Best Renovation/Restoration Project in 2007" from the Romanian Architects Association.^[4]

In May 2008, the hotel was declared "Hotel of the Year" by HRB Expert magazine.

[edit] History

The hotel comprises two buildings of which the more than one-hundred-year-old main building is built in "Brâncovenesc style". The current main building was initially built for a prominent Greek family. One of the adjacent houses belonged to architect Suter himself.

During the Communist period the building was nationalized and served as the headquarters for a number of communist party institutions, including ICRAL, the former housing authority (ICRAL in Romanian stands for "întreprindere de Constructii, Reparatii si Administrare Locativa").

The renovation and conversion cost close to 6 million Euros according to Romanian newspapers. This investment represents nearly twice the per room amount invested by other five star hotels in Bucharest.