Novotel Warszawa Centrum is a 33-story, 111-meter skyscraper hotel in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

History

left, Hotel Orbis Forum, 1975 The Hotel Orbis Forum was built from 1972 to 1974, during Poland's

communist era A Communist Era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of Communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist P ...

, by the state-owned travel monopoly Orbis. The hotel was designed to accommodate foreign visitors, and was managed by the budget Forum Hotels division of

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

InterContinental Hotels Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ...

chain. The hotel was designed by Swedish architect Sten Samuelson and erected by Swedish construction company Skånska Cementgjuteriet. It was the second tallest building in Poland after the Stalinist

Palace of Culture and Science A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. The hotel opened on January 25, 1974. The building's flat, rectangular shape, with rows of small windows and a brown facade, earned it the nickname ''giant chocolate bar''. In 2000, the French

Accor Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide. Accor op ...

group bought a 20% stake in Orbis. The hotel was transferred to Accor's

Novotel Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 ...

division in 2002 and renamed Novotel Warszawa Centrum. Between 2004 and 2005, the building underwent extensive modernization, with its brown facade repainted gray.

References

External links

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Historic photos
Hotels in Warsaw Skyscrapers in Warsaw Skyscraper hotels in Poland Hotels established in 1974 Hotel buildings completed in 1974 Buildings and structures completed in 1974 {{Warsaw-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links