Mandarin Oriental Gellert, Budapest

The Gellért opened in 1918 on the Buda bank of the Danube, by the Liberty Bridge, and became one of Central Europe’s best-known spa hotels. Hungarian investment firm BDPST Group bought it in 2022 and it is being restored to reopen as Mandarin Oriental Gellert, Budapest, the group’s first hotel in Hungary.

The building and design

The original Art Nouveau building was designed by Ármin Hegedűs, Artúr Sebestyén and Izidor Sterk. Hungarian firm Archikon Architects is overseeing the architecture, and London studio Alexander Waterworth Interiors is designing the rooms, suites, wellness areas and public spaces. Restoration began in October 2024.

Rooms and suites

The January 2024 announcement gave 143 rooms and suites. A May 2025 CNN report on the restoration gave 134 rooms, including 34 suites. Treat the final count as unconfirmed.

Wellness

Wellness is the centrepiece. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Gellert will combine the group’s Asian-inspired therapies with treatments drawing on Hungarian bathing traditions, across seven experiential spaces. Plans also include:

• A top-floor indoor pool under a retractable glass roof, with sauna and cold plunge
• A fitness and movement studio
• An indoor-outdoor restaurant, a patisserie and café, and a rooftop bar with Danube views

One important detail: the famous Gellért Baths next door stay under city management and are not part of the hotel.

What it means for advisors

Budapest has lacked a hotel of this calibre with real spa credentials, and this gives Central Europe itineraries a strong anchor between Vienna and Prague, or at the start or end of a Danube river cruise. It suits wellness travellers, architecture lovers and returning Mandarin Oriental guests, and works year round, with the thermal culture making winter visits easier to sell. Set expectations clearly that the public baths remain separate. Mandarin Oriental Fan Club is the brand’s advisor programme for amenities.

Opening status

Mandarin Oriental and BDPST announced the project in late 2023, with a 2027 opening, and later coverage has held to that year. No month, restaurant concepts or rates have been published.

Sources: hospitalitynet.org, hospitality-on.com, ktvz.com, jardines.com