An accommodating history
To coincide with the Hotel Europejski's 150th anniversary, the descendants of Duke Seweryn Czetwertyński have announced plans to renovate Warsaw's oldest hotel and transform it into the most luxurious in the city.
"We are currently looking for a partner. We will be waiting for offers until the end of June, after which we plan to choose the partner. We are looking for companies that have already done similar projects, restored or refurbished a monument or a historical building, here or abroad. Then we would like to find people who have financial capabilities, not necessarily vast, but enough to support the project," says Loic Guibourge, president of the Hotel Europejski and the husband of Maria Czetwertyńska, Duke Seweryn Czetwertyński's granddaughter.
There are a number of companies interested in the project and, according to Guibourge, Orco Property Group is one of them. Once a partner has been chosen the organization will have to obtain a building permit. All documents, permits and contracts should be completed and signed by the fall of 2008. The renovation work will take some 20-24 months, so the hotel could be opened by New Year's Eve of 2010 to commemorate its original opening on December 31, 1856.
Queuing up with cash
The owners of the hotel are confident about financing. "The project is so interesting that we have several banks that will provide the financial backing. Now we only have to decide whether we will need to cover 50 or 80 percent with a loan," says Guibourge.
The overall design has already been drafted. The number of rooms will be reduced from 234 to between 120 and 150. Currently, rooms in the hotel are about 17 sqm; in the course of renovation they will be expanded to 32-34 sqm. The hotel will comprise the biggest part of a complex that will also host restaurants, shops and offices. The plan also envisions the allocation of part of the hotel's space to apartments, whose owners will have access to the hotel's services.
The owners are hoping to attain six stars for the finished product and, to that end, they plan to engage a hotel operator, and the best architects and interior designers. According to Guibourge, the average price will exceed EUR 200 (zł.765) per night.
The name stays
When investing in a hotel many operators decide to change the name but the Europejski's owners say this will not happen in this case. "Because of its 150-year presence in the history of Warsaw, the name cannot disappear. Its name has appeared in novels and articles. During talks with hotel operators I haven't encountered anyone who would like to get rid of the brand," says Guibourge.
"Our 150-year history is longer than that of Hilton or Starwood, so if we look at it from that angle the name is our capital," adds Xawery Wąsowski, a descendant of the Czetwertyński family and curator of a recent exhibition presenting the history of the hotel.
