Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest

Matild Palace, located at the Pest end of Elizabeth Bridge, is one of Budapest’s defining historic palace buildings. The southern Klotild Palace was designed by Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl and completed in 1902 for Archduchess Klotild as one of a pair of twin palaces.

The purpose of the reconstruction was to restore the protected architectural and decorative values of the building while creating a contemporary luxury hotel. The original façades, ornamental features, staircases and principal interiors were restored on the basis of archival drawings, photographs and on-site research.

The 13,000-square-metre building contains 111 guestrooms and 19 suites, providing a total of 130 accommodation units. Due to the characteristics of the historic structure, many of the rooms have individual floor plans and distinctive interior layouts.

The development included the restoration of the palace’s historic café and the creation of a restaurant, wellness and fitness facilities, event spaces and a panoramic rooftop bar. The new functions had to be introduced without compromising the character of the historic spatial structure and protected architectural details.

CÉH zRt. supported the reconstruction through project management and technical supervision. Our responsibilities included coordinating restoration, architectural, interior-design, structural and building-services works, monitoring technical content and quality, and preparing decisions for the client.

Contemporary hotel, kitchen, security, information technology, mechanical and electrical systems had to be integrated into the historic building. The positioning of services and equipment was adapted to the existing structures, protected surfaces and the differing conditions of the individual floors.

The reconstruction restored the palace’s prominent role in the Budapest cityscape and gave the previously underused building a new, sustainable long-term function.

Designer: Puhl és Dajka Építész Iroda Kft.

Interior designer: MKV Design

Awards and recognition:

• World Travel Awards, 2021 – Hungary’s Leading Hotel
• Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, 2021 – Best Hotel Luxury
• Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, 2021 – Best Guestroom Luxury