The Sofitel brand is returning to the Romanian market, in the center of Bucharest. The logo of the luxury brand, part of the Accor hotel chain, was located on the building of the current Pullman hotel in Montreal Square in Bucharest until 2009.
The new hotel is owned by the Dayan family, one of the most powerful in Israel. The Dayan family has received authorization to renovate the former BCR Palace in University Square, which will be transformed into one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital.
The luxury hotel brand is now returning to an emblematic building in Bucharest. It is the Oscar Maugsch Palace, or BCR Palace, as it is also known.
Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan announced yesterday that he has signed the authorization for the restoration of the Oscar Maugsch Palace into a luxury hotel. The building is owned by the Dayan family, one of the most powerful in Israel.
The BCR Palace building was built at the beginning of the 20th century and consists of two wings – University and Toma Caragiu – with a total area of almost 17,000 square meters. The investment in the transformation of the building is about 20 million euros.
The hotel will have about 157 rooms, which will be located on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd floors and the attic. On the ground floor, the inner courtyard between Buildings A and B will be covered with a glass skylight, as seen in the images, and will be transformed into the hotel’s access lobby.
On the ground floor there will also be spaces for restaurants, an event hall, and in the basement there are plans to develop a SPA area, in accordance with the requirements of the hotel’s classification.
“Respecting the old and embracing the new, our project seeks not only to be a tribute to architectural excellence, but also a testament to the harmonious union of tradition and innovation,” is the description of the architects at Ran and Morris in Tel Aviv.
In 2008, Accor officials decided to drop the Sofitel brand and switch to the Pullman brand starting the following year. Bucharest could not support prices of 250-300 euros per night at the time, and the investment in transforming it into a five-star hotel was too expensive. Accor officials then decided to switch to Pullman.