After EUR 15 mln facelift for Cismigiu hotel, Hercesa eyes more old buildings in Bucharest's Old Town

Spanish real-estate developer Hercesa, which has just re-opened the iconic Hotel Cismigiu, after a EUR 15 million facelift, has its eye on five other buildings located in the historical center of Bucharest, and is currently trying to find a solution to restore them and reintegrate them into the tourist circuit. Hercesa President, Mauricio Mesa mentioned these new plans at the official opening of the 60-apartment hotel. The company bought the dilapidated Cismigiu hotel in 2004, but it was three years before the construction work got underway.

Elena Saricu, of Solano & Catalan architects, said great emphasis was placed on the preservation of original decorative elements of the building façade and in recreating the building’s forged iron gates. The creation of the underground parking added to the technical difficulty of the entire project, she added. The ground floor of the building is separated into several venues for commercial use. The Instituto Cervantes Spanish Cultural Institute and a branch of the Humanitas chain of libraries are hosted in the relaunched hotel. The developer also plans to add a Gambrinus beer house to the Cismigiu commercial complex early next year.

Floors two to five of the hotel are dedicated to tourist accommodation, with options of 40 to 50 sqm of living space. Some suites are fitted with kitchens, while others are more adapted to shorter term stays. Business activities will be hosted in the 7 conference halls that can accommodate 10 to 40 people.

Hercesa began its real-estate development activities almost 40 years ago in Spain and it entered the local market in 2004. The company has delivered more than 20,000 houses to individual users and it manages 5 million sqm of industrial land, while also continuing to build and sell hotels, commercial centers, office buildings and residential complexes for the elderly. The Hercesa portfolio now comprises approximately 30,000 accommodation spaces in various development stages located in Spain, Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Morocco, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama. Ioana Jelea (ioana.jelea@romania-insider.com) (photo source: Hercesa)