The Sofitel brand returns 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 Bucharest’s Montreal Square until 2009.
The new hotel is owned by the Dayan family. It has received authorization to renovate the former BCR Palace in University Square.
The luxury hotel brand now returns to an iconic building in Bucharest. It’s the Oscar Maugsch Palace, or BCR Palace, as it’s also known.
The Mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, signed the authorization for the restoration of the Oscar Maugsch Palace into a luxury hotel.
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 around EUR 20 million.
The hotel will have approximately 157 rooms, which will be located on the first, second, third and attic floors. On the ground floor, the inner courtyard between Buildings A and B will be covered with a glass skylight and transformed into the hotel’s lobby.
On the ground floor there will also be restaurant spaces, an events hall, and on the basement there will be a SPA area, in line with the hotel’s classification requirements.
“Respecting the old and embracing the new, our project seeks to be not only a tribute to architectural excellence, but also a testament to the harmonious union of tradition and innovation,” is the description of Tel Aviv-based architects Ran and Morris.
In 2008, Accor officials decided to drop the Sofitel brand and switch to the Pullman brand the following year.
Luxury hotel brand Sofitel, part of the Accor group, returns to Bucharest after more than 15 years.
Until 2009, the Sofitel brand was present at a hotel on Montreal Square, before Accor transformed the location under its own, more accessible Pullman brand.
The execution of the investment is estimated to be carried out from the second half of 2024 to the second half of 2027.