Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

Zagreb, Croatia. Located on Starčević Square, close to Zagreb’s main railway station.

Esplanade Zagreb HotelZagreb, Croatia

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Practical information

208 rooms and suites in a Belle Époque landmark built for Orient Express travellers.
Zinfandel’s Restaurant, Le Bistro Esplanade and the Esplanade 1925 Lounge & Cocktail Bar.
The historic Emerald Ballroom, meeting and event spaces, and a Health Club.
Located on Starčević Square, close to Zagreb’s main railway station.

11 dates, written by Grand Hotels of the World from the sources below.

1917
An international competition is held for a new luxury hotel by the station; Adolf Loos takes part, but Otto Rehnig wins, with plans reworked by Dionis Sunko.
22 April 1925
Completed in 26 months, the Esplanade opens with more than 200 guests, including Zagreb’s mayor Vjekoslav Heinzel.
1920s
The hotel becomes the heart of Zagreb’s social life, hosting the 1926 Miss Yugoslavia pageant and guests such as Josephine Baker and Charles Lindbergh.
World War II
The Gestapo and Wehrmacht use the hotel, as described by Curzio Malaparte in Kaputt; in 1945 it serves as a soup kitchen.
1957
First renovation; Orson Welles, Arthur Rubinstein and Yul Brynner are among the guests who follow.
6 November 1964
After a $1 million renovation, the hotel joins Pan Am’s Inter-Continental chain as the Hotel Esplanade Intercontinental.
1967
Croatia’s first casino opens at the hotel.
1975
The Esplanade leaves the Inter-Continental chain and receives a medal from President Tito.
2002
Acquired by Austria’s WSF-Gruppe, the hotel closes for a major renovation.
18 May 2004
The hotel reopens as The Regent Esplanade Zagreb; it has been independent since 2012.
2019
Named Best European Historic Hotel of the Year at the European Hotel Awards in Geneva.