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InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest
Bucharest, Romania · InterContinental · High Luxury
French architect Théophile Bradeau built Bucharest's Athénée Palace from 1912 to 1914 in Art Nouveau reinforced concrete, the city's first building to use that method, facing the Romanian Athenaeum. Between the wars correspondents called it Europe's most notorious spy hotel, home to British agents and Gestapo alike; under Communism the Securitate bugged rooms and staffed the house with informers. Damaged in the 1989 revolution on Revolution Square, it closed in 1994, reopened as a Hilton after a $42 million EBRD renovation, and switched at midnight on 31 December 2022 to InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest.
- 250 rooms
- Opened 1914
- Neighborhood: Amzei
- Architect: Théophile Bradeau
About InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest
- Duiliu Marcu restyled the exterior as Art Deco during a complete modernization between 1935 and 1937.
- Olivia Manning's Balkan Trilogy uses the hotel as a primary setting; the BBC's Fortunes of War with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson adapted the books but filmed in Yugoslavia.
- A. L. Easterman of London's Daily Express branded it the most notorious caravanserai in all Europe for spies and concession hunters.
- A 1965 rear wing by Nicolae Pruncu had to be structurally knitted into Bradeau's original frame, a noted engineering headache.
- Ana Hotels' George Copos took a controlling ownership stake from the EBRD in 2005; MICHELIN awarded One Key in 2025.
Restaurants and bars
- Café Athénée — Café
- Club InterContinental — Restaurant
Experiences
- Club InterContinental lounge — Private check-in and check-out, complimentary internet access, and a selection of books, board games and newspapers.
- Kids' Time with a Smile — The ultimate InterContinental kids' experience at Athénée Palace for little ones.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
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