The original property at this location was washed away in the ‘Great Flood of 1838’, with the building which still remains dating back to 1910. At this contemporary event in 2010 guests were invited to wash down Champaign or soft drinks, and could enjoy cocktails throughout the evening which formally began at 6pm.

Special security measurements were in place at this event, possibly due to the VIP presence of Hungarian Minister Mr. Miklós Réthelyi. Also perhaps the police presence outside was called for as the hotel - which is located in the historical Jewish quarter of Budapest - now has a Jordanian owner, and the Hungarian management team regularly host Palestinian and Israeli visitors with pleasure and without discrimination.

In any case the event ran very smoothly. The hotel owner Mr. Mazen Al Ramahi was in attendance and during his welcome speech he formally thanked the architects; contractors; authorities and the creditors for their cooperation in the reconstructions.

Speaker Mr. Mihály Ráday was applauded by the gathered audience for playing a major role in preserving the national heritage of the Hungária Baths that once stood in the place of the hotel. In an optmistic speech he noted that this Podmaniczky Award Winning building could even be a future candidate for an international architectural prize.

As part of the opening ceremony Mr. János Erdei, President of the Hotel Association of Hungary, praised the audacity and determination of the investors, and expressed his best wishes to the hotel management.

Mr. Zoltán Géher, GM of the hotel, presented his leading colleagues such as Mr. Gábor Jakab to the audience, and he revealed that since the soft-opening three months ago the hotel occupancy rate has reached an excellent figure of 75%.

During the speech by Minister Réthelyi he shared with everyone his personal connection to Hungária Baths, namely that among his ancestors are former proprietors of the property and so he expressed his personal pride in the successful reconstruction of the building.

Other important personalities in attendance included Mr. Lóránd Mányai and  Mr. László Duli, two ex-directors of the Continental Hotel that stood in the place of Continental Hotel Zara until the 1970s when the former hotel closed its doors.

During the 1980s the building fell into a state of serious disrepair, and finally in 2004 after many years of controversy regarding the possible demolition of the building, the National Office of Cultural Heritage ordered the interim protection of buildings at risk in the area of the former Pest Jewish ghetto - including the Hungária Baths.

On 7 February 2005 the remaining section of this old spa property was declared a listed building, and then on 7 April 2009 ZeinaHotel Ltd stepped in to revive the spirit and fortunes of this historical property. Today this renewed gem in the Budapest accommodation market lives up to its former reputation as a premier Hungarian hotel.

At this truly grand event a fashion show followed the welcome speeches, next came a belly-dancing display and live music entertained guests as they enjoyed a wonderfully varied choice of food.

One open-air courtyard of the hotel was used for spit-roasting and cooking on a real fire, while the hotel’s ARAZ restaurant area served traditional Hungarian cold cuts along with warm international dishes, and sweets were served upstairs in the hotel’s Gallery Café.

Accompanying wine flowed freely thanks to Mr. Tibor Kovács, the owner of the Szent Gaál Castle Winery in Szekszárd, and guests departed feeling merry after a well managed event. Upon departure they were presented with gifts from the hotel, ladies receiving an exquisitely decorated white rose and gentlemen getting a commemorative medal.

Follow this link to see a gallery of event photos

Continental Hotel Zara****Superior
Dohány str. 42-44.
1074 Budapest
Tel.: +36 1 815 1000