The Gellért hotel in Budapest, Hungary, will reopen in 2028 as a Mandarin Oriental with a rooftop pool

Closed since 2019, Budapest’s most famous hotel is getting ready for a second life. The Gellért hotel will reopen in 2028 as the Mandarin Oriental Gellert, Budapest, according to the group’s press release, updated in October 2026. It will be the first Mandarin Oriental in Hungary: 143 rooms and suites, a spa with seven areas and, on the top floor, a glass-roofed pool next to a bar overlooking the Danube.

☰Contents

1. An Art Nouveau grand hotel that opened in 1918
2. A reopening now announced for 2028
3. 143 rooms designed in London
4. Three halls restored from the archives
5. A pool beneath a retractable glass roof
6. What about the famous Gellért Baths?

An Art Nouveau grand hotel that opened in 1918

The Gellért was built between 1911 and 1918 by Ármin Hegedűs, Artúr Sebestyén and Izidor Sterk, and opened in September 1918, according to its owner, BDPST Group. In the 1920s and 1930s, the celebrated Hungarian restaurateur Károly Gundel ran its kitchens.

It was an age of whimsy: seaplanes used to land on the Danube, right in front of the hotel. Largely gutted by fire during the Second World War, then reopened, the hotel finally closed in 2019, with crumbling ceilings and 1960s furniture.

A reopening now announced for 2028

In December 2023, Mandarin Oriental announced an opening in 2027. The current version of its press release states 2028. The works, which began in October 2024, are being carried out without a tower crane or an external debris chute, to protect the façade and the views over the city.

For the group, Budapest will complete a Central European trio alongside its Prague hotel and its Vienna project. Mandarin Oriental has already restored other great historic houses, including the Ritz in Madrid and the Savoy in Zurich. Prague, for its part, is also awaiting Kempinski’s relaunch of the Augustine hotel.

143 rooms designed in London

London studio Alexander Waterworth, already chosen by Mandarin Oriental at Costa Navarino, in Greece, is redesigning the 143 rooms and suites, the wellness areas and the lounges. Hungarian firm Archikon is in charge of the architecture.

The figure may still change: BDPST Group mentions 134 rooms, including 34 suites, in its preliminary plans.

Three halls restored from the archives

The entrance hall, the Danube Hall and the tapestry-lined Gobelin Hall will regain their original décor, recreated from photographs and plans kept in museums. The Art Nouveau ballroom, also restored, will host receptions.

On the ground and first floors, a restaurant opening onto the outside will look out over the Danube. A pâtisserie and a café will pay tribute to Budapest’s cake tradition.

A pool beneath a retractable glass roof

On the top floor, the indoor pool will be topped by a glass roof that opens, with a whirlpool, a sauna, a cold plunge pool and a relaxation terrace. It will sit next to a rooftop bar with views over Pest and the Danube.

The spa will have seven bathing and treatment areas, blending the brand’s Asian therapies with Eastern European treatments. A fitness studio will complete the offer. For a thermal cure right now, try Le Primore hotel in Hévíz, on the shores of Hungary’s thermal lake.

What about the famous Gellért Baths?

The Gellért Baths, with their mosaics and colonnaded pool, are a separate establishment, at the address next door. They have been closed for works since 1 October 2025, and are expected to reopen in 2028, according to their official website.

Rates have not yet been published. Mandarin Oriental is also pressing ahead with its expansion, as in Miami, where work on the Mandarin Oriental at Brickell Key has begun.